Tell Me Where It Hurts
by Everystep
Summary: After the events of the Winter War, Ichigo finds himself with an unwanted visitor at the worst possible time. Can Rukia pull him through? IchiRuki, other pairings to be determined. Rated T for language. Up for adoption. I do not own Bleach.
1. Strange Readings

This fic is based off something that I (and I think lots of IchiRuki fans) hope will happen sometime in the near future...I won't say too much, but it'll probably be pretty obvious soon enough. So yay for fanservice, procrastination, and not sleeping! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, I do reserve the rights to any OC's.

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**Strange Readings**

Ichigo Kurosaki stared at the ceiling above him, his eyes tracing the subtle brush strokes carelessly left by his own amateur paint job a few days ago. After years of staring at a blank white ceiling he'd finally had enough. He grabbed a ladder, some newspaper, and a few buckets of light green paint and shut himself in his room for the weekend.

He emerged quite proudly when all was said and done. Even a few hours of ridicule from his father and sisters (his orange hair clashed horribly with the specks of green paint that had worked their way all over him during the course of his home improvement experiment) couldn't bring Ichigo down. He didn't care too much about what they thought anyway; rather he was much more anxious to see _her_ reaction.

Ichigo made sure to clean his room thoroughly, vacuuming every last paint chip off of the carpet, dusting all of his shelf and desk space, and restocking the closet with clean linens and clothes. This deviation from his usual routine of school and shinigami duties excited him much more than he'd anticipated; Ichigo supposed he'd never realized how much he valued a little change every now and then.

After the Winter War finally came to a close, and Sousuke Aizen had fallen, Ichigo found himself in a somewhat odd position. For the first time in a long time his life was without any looming danger, and he didn't quite know what to do with himself. He continued to exorcise hollows at the request of the Soul Society, but that only kept him occupied for so long. Ichigo felt alone and unchallenged, which left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Rukia Kuchiki was his only saving grace. Every week she'd come from her various assignments with stories of new aspects of the material world she discovered, questioning Ichigo for hours on end about things like reality television and hip-hop music. Her innocent and unbiased interpretations of these phenomena forced Ichigo to look at the world in a whole new light, and even though he teased her about her childlike observations he made sure never to discourage her from returning every week with something new to share.

Ichigo waited impatiently in his room for her Sunday night, staring up at his paint job and wondering what seemingly normal topic Rukia would force him to reexamine this time. Feeling uncomfortable and antsy in the silence, he reached to switch on the radio, but he stopped, frozen in space as a voice faintly whispered to him, barely audible above the blood now pulsing through his ears.

_You can always talk to me,_ coaxed the voice. _I've been so bored…and I know you have too…_

Ichigo sat up completely straight, his body overcome with a wave of anxiety. He knew that voice, he was sure of it. He just didn't want to believe it. Or say it. Or think it. He turned on the radio, clumsily spinning the volume dial up as far as he could without waking the rest of the house.

_You don't think a little noise is gonna scare me off, do ya?_

Ichigo grabbed a book from his backpack, frantically flipping to the page he was supposed to read for tomorrow's class.

_Nice try, but I'm still here…after all, I'm you…_

"Shut up."

_You've gotten complacent, Ichigo!_

"Shut up."

_And I warned you never to let your guard down…_

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"Ichigo?"

He whirled around, watching Rukia step onto his bed from his window. She looked at him worriedly, her face full of concern.

"Are you all right?"

Ichigo nodded, suddenly aware of his ragged breathing and clammy skin.

"Uh…yeah, yeah. You just startled me."

Rukia stared at him skeptically.

Ichigo took a deep breath in, trying to shake the incident from his mind.

"I'm _fine_. How do you expect me to react when you just come in through my window like that with no warning at all?! Like a burglar or an…assassin or something! Do you come into everyone's house like that?"

Rukia relaxed a little and dropped herself down onto Ichigo's bed. "Who were you yelling at?" she asked.

"No one. It was just the radio."

"It didn't sound like the radio."

"Well it was! Jeez, what's your deal?" Ichigo snapped irritably, eager to change the subject.

Rukia scowled. "How rude! Is that anyway to treat your dear friend who came to visit you? A guest in your house? No wonder you don't have a girlfriend!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Whatever…but look around! Do you notice anything different about my room?" he said smugly, preparing himself for what he could only imagine would be a shower of compliments about his handiness and painting expertise.

"Did you get sick on the walls?" asked Rukia, wrinkling her nose and looking around at the green tinged room.

Ichigo glared at her.

"Wha…of course not! You just can't see it right in this lighting! I spent _days_ painting this room!"

"Oh…really? That's great, Ichigo!" Rukia smiled half-heartedly. "You didn't paint the inside of my closet, did you?"

Ichigo shook his head, his bad mood escalating as the conversation progressed. "No. There are clean blankets in there, though. I'm going to go to sleep," he said, gently shoving Rukia off of his bed.

"Um…all right, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," waved Rukia, climbing into the closet and sliding the door closed.

"Yeah." Ichigo lied down on his side, staring out of his window at the street below him.

_Tough luck, Ichigo...you really can't do anything right, can ya?_

"Shiiiit," he groaned, stuffing a pillow over his head.

_What's with that attitude? You know, we feel the same emotions…you should really lighten up._

"Rukia," Ichigo called, "you awake?"

Rukia slid open the closet door. "Yes, why?"

"Talk to me about something. Anything. I don't care what," he ordered.

"What's with you tonight? Are you not feeling well or something?" she demanded, walking over and sitting down at Ichigo's desk.

"Rukia, please."

She sighed, gazing at the back of his head.

"Fine…well, the other day I came across a human riding on this thing called a Segway…I mean is it really so hard for them to walk? I thought you already had it easy with cars, but this is just ridiculous…"

Ichigo focused oh her voice, drifting off to sleep as it firmly anchored him to reality.

_I guess you win tonight, but don't think for one second this is over…_

--

Rukia Kuchiki sat slumped over Ichigo's desk, drumming her fingers against the imitation wood in hopes that something would come along to distract her. Ichigo's behavior the previous night left her feeling rather uneasy. She knew he had a tendency to keep his emotions to himself, but it bothered her all the same that he seemed to be hiding something from her. She sighed, peeling her head off of the desktop and looking around the room for something to do while Ichigo was at school.

She contemplated venturing downstairs to steal some magazines and snacks to bring back to her closet. A day of lounging seemed very appealing; especially since the past few days had been quite exhausting. The Soul Society still sagged under the weight of the heavy casualties from the Winter War, and Rukia's workload had suddenly increased dramatically in order to pick up the slack. A few days per week she traveled to various locations in the material world to dispatch hollows and perform konsou, and the remainder of her days she spent with Ichigo in Karakura Town, finding it a favorable alternative to returning to the Soul Society.

All of the shinigami had been perpetually on edge since the Winter War, undoubtedly feeling the effects of losing so many members to Aizen's forces. The constant tension in the Seireitei nearly drove Rukia insane. She vastly preferred the blissfully oblivious humans to her sad-sack peers, and (for the most part) no one objected to her decision.

Rukia returned back to Ichigo's room after combing the empty house for food and reading material, dismayed to find her cell phone buzzing and lighting up on the desk where she'd left it. She dropped her armful of goodies, examining the blinking dot on the screen that signified the presence of a hollow nearby. Thinking that Ichigo would probably rather not leave school to deal with it, she popped a piece of soul candy in her mouth, allowing her soul to leave her temporary body, or gigai, and a modified soul to take its place while she was away.

"Stay here, and don't make a lot of noise," she instructed the modified soul, who nodded in response and shut itself in the closet. Rukia jumped out of the window, landed gracefully on the ground and sprinted off in the direction of the hollow.

_Seems like Ichigo's already there,_ she thought, slowing down as she sensed him nearby. _He'll probably take care of it any second now; this one's not very strong…_

Rukia stopped; waiting to make sure Ichigo successfully exorcised the hollow before returning to his room. She also felt a slight disturbance in Ichigo's spiritual pressure. Every so often it would fluctuate, turning harsh and violent. It almost reminded Rukia of…

She stopped herself, putting the thought out of her mind. Ichigo just had a lot on his mind, and therefore his spiritual pressure was a bit turbulent. However, seeing as how the hollow still hadn't been destroyed, Rukia decided to check to make sure Ichigo didn't need any help.

"Do you have this under control?" she called upon arriving, watching at a distance as Ichigo defended himself against the hollow's attacks. He seemed to be holding back; almost reluctant to switch to the offensive, instead dodging the hollow's blows and knocking them back with his zanpakutou.

"Rukia…" Ichigo looked at her, his face contorted with a mixture of frustration, relief, and fear. Rukia's stomach dropped, shaken to see him wearing such an expression.

"I've got this," she said, drawing her sword. The hollow focused its attention on her, slowly advancing on its newest challenger.

"You won't be as satisfying as that redhead, but you'll do…" it growled.

"Tch, how foolish," Rukia scoffed, leaping into the air and slicing the hollow's head cleanly down the middle of its mask. The hollow collapsed to the ground, vaporizing into thin air.

"Thanks, I guess I owe you one," Ichigo mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Rukia re-sheathed her zanpakutou, unsure of what to say. She knew Ichigo to be quite sensitive when it came to his pride, and he would undoubtedly take offense to any suggestions that he couldn't handle himself. However, Rukia also knew that in these types of situations she would have to forsake his ego in order for him to admit something was wrong.

"Ichigo, what on earth has been bothering you?" she demanded. "And you'd better give me a proper answer."

Ichigo shrugged. "I guess I'm just having an off-OW!" he cried, stumbling backward as Rukia kicked him in the shin. "What the hell was that for?!"

"I told you to give me a PROPER answer! None of this 'I'm just having an off day' nonsense! So out with it! Don't make me call Pyon," she warned, referring to the modified soul inhabiting her gigai with a knack for twisting Ichigo's limbs in unnatural directions.

"What do you want from me? If I want your help I'll ask for it," Ichigo retaliated, guarding his legs from further attacks.

"We both know that's not true," snapped Rukia. "You never ask for anyone's help. So I'm offering you a free pass…I'm going to force it out of you one way or another, so just spit it out now and save yourself some suffering."

"We'll see about that," yelled Ichigo, running back in the direction of his school.

Rukia fumed, debating whether or not it would be worth it to chase him down. She eventually decided against it, thinking that it would be more effective wait until he returned to his room and she could find some way to lock him inside.

_Stubborn idiot,_ she thought to herself, turning to walk back to Ichigo's house. She stopped, though, suddenly aware of someone else's spiritual pressure close by. Rukia looked up, startled to see a female shinigami staring down at her from on top of a telephone pole.

The shinigami stepped into the air and fell slowly onto the ground, landing in a clean, swift crouch.

"Rukia Kuchiki, I presume?" she said, standing up straight. Rukia recognized her face, small but stern features surrounded by symmetrical layers of bangs.

"You're…"

"Michiko Nakamura, third seat of the second division. I've been sent here to do some reconnaissance," she explained. "I was told I might run into you."

"Y-yes," Rukia stammered, caught off guard. "If you don't mind my asking…why were you sent to do…reconnaissance?"

"The twelfth division found some strange readings during a routine monitoring of the spiritual activity in this area. I'm to stay here and report back if I find anything unusual."

"I understand…let me know if you need my help," Rukia offered.

Michiko shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I'll be staying out of your way, and I expect you to do the same. Please pass that on to the substitute shinigami as well," she ordered.

"Yes Ma'am," Rukia answered, watching in confusion as Michiko leapt out of sight.

On her way back to Ichigo's house Rukia's mind overflowed with uneasy questions about Ichigo and these apparent "strange readings". She hadn't sensed anything abnormal in the area, apart from Ichigo's unstable spiritual pressure earlier.

_I wonder if the two are related,_ she asked herself, the very thought of it triggering an unexpected sick feeling in her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the idea from her head.

"Excuse me, Kuchiki-san," someone said, interrupting her contemplations.

"Hmm?" Rukia looked up to find Uryuu Ishida, a classmate of Ichigo's, peering down at her.

"Ishida?" she half greeted, half questioned, surprised to see him outside during school hours. "Is everything all right?"

"I usually wouldn't resort to this," he said, referring to his distaste for all shinigami associated with the Soul Society (although he seemed not to mind Rukia quite as much), "but I needed to speak with you before Kurosaki came back."

_Just what exactly is going on?_ Rukia wondered nervously.

"All right," she answered. "But I have some questions for you as well…"

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I hope you liked chapter 1, and that you'll review! Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged! Have a nice day :)


	2. Out of Control

Hi all! Before we begin, I just want to note that recent manga events may or may not contradict what I have planned for later chapters, and unless I can make it work nicely without disrupting anything I'm not going to incorporate what's going on right now into this fic...it'd just get too messy.

Oh, and by the way, Ichigo's inner monologue is formatted **_like this_**, while the "voice" is _like this_. Just to avoid any confusion :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, I reserve the rights to OC's.

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**Out of Control**

Ichigo reluctantly tore open his heavy eyelids, one arm bolting out from beneath the warmth of his blankets to swat at his alarm clock. Once he'd successfully quelled its obnoxious buzzing, he switched on his lamp, recoiling as the light hit his eyes. He blinked a few times until he could see clearly, both mildly shocked and amused to find Rukia sleeping face down on his desk.

"Rukia," he said groggily, climbing out of bed and gently shaking her shoulder.

"Huh?" she woke with a start, slowly sitting upright.

"Did you really sleep though my alarm?" asked Ichigo, rummaging through his dresser for clothes. "And why did you sleep on my desk? Something wrong with the closet?"

Rukia shook her head. "I was just tired…and I wanted to make sure you were all right. You had me worried last night, you know," she said, swiveling in Ichigo's chair to face the other way while he changed.

Ichigo frowned. "Last night…" his body became rigid as he remembered hearing the voice that he had assumed was safely locked away within his conscious.

"Did you hear what I just said?" asked Rukia, pulling Ichigo back to the present.

He shook his head. "Sorry…could you repeat that?"

She sighed. "I said you really had me worried!"

"Oh…well, don't worry about me. Really," he added, spinning her back around to face him as he finished buttoning his shirt. "I'm fine."

"Uh-huh," Rukia yawned, making her way back to the closet. "I'm going to go back to sleep. See you later."

"Yeah."

_I'm insulted, Ichigo! What made you think I'd go away if you just forgot about me?_

"Leave me alone," Ichigo whispered. "I don't need you here."

_Like I care._

"You will listen to me. I beat you down before and I'll do it again. You can't win against me," he threatened, trying to muster as much will power as possible.

_Che, keep telling yourself that._

"God_damn_it!" Ichigo hissed, frustrated with his lack of control over the situation and knowing full well that _he_ could read every weak thought running through his mind.

"Ichi-nii, watch your mouth," scolded Ichigo's younger sister Yuzu as he walked downstairs.

"Sorry."

"Breakfast is almost ready. You can go wait at the table," she instructed, pointing towards the dining room.

"Thanks, Yuzu, but I'm running late…I'll just grab something on the way," Ichigo replied, not particularly wanting to sit through breakfast being interrogated about his bad mood by his family, _especially_ his over zealous father.

"You liar! There's still an hour before school starts!" argued Yuzu, but Ichigo paid no attention.

"Sorry. I'll see you for dinner," he waved, grabbing a piece of toast on his way out the door.

Ichigo walked to school swiftly, hoping to decrease the amount of time he spent alone with the voice inside him.

_I can tell I'm getting to you, _it snickered, picking apart Ichigo's emotions almost as soon as he felt them. He broke into a run, pouring his concentration into reaching his destination.

_That's right, Ichigo. Run away from something that's a part of you,_ sneered the voice. _You're such a dumbass…why do you even bother with school? I think it's time you let me handle your life. I'm sure I won't make such a mess of it as-_

"Be QUIET!" Ichigo yelled, relieved to see his school building just ahead. He relaxed his pace, stopping to catch his breath before entering the grounds.

"Hey, Ichigo," greeted Ichigo's friend Sado "Chad" Yasutora, nodding his head slightly.

"Hey," responded Ichigo, walking beside him to their classroom. "Did you have a good weekend?"

Chad nodded. "You?"

"Yeah," he lied. "I painted my room."

"Oh."

For the first time in his life, Ichigo wished that Chad had something more to say. He usually liked Chad's calm and quiet nature, which contrasted nicely with the rest of his overly excitable peers. However, Ichigo didn't need calm and quiet. He needed excitement, stimulation, something he could immerse himself in so deeply it would give him the strength to crush the voice inside him once and for all.

Chad and Ichigo reached their classroom and made their way to their desks. Sleepy students slowly filtered in as the morning went on, filling the room with the dull buzz of casual conversation. Ichigo watched as his friends Uryuu Ishida and Orihime Inoue walked in together, talking quietly between themselves and throwing him sideways glances from time to time. He grew uncomfortably restless as they approached him, Orihime (very poorly) trying to mask her concerned expression with a smile.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun," she said, taking the seat next to him. Uryuu leaned on her desk, jerking his head quickly in Ichigo's direction in acknowledgment of his presence.

"Morning," Ichigo replied.

"Kurosaki," Uryuu began, "has the Soul Society sent any other shinigami to Karakura Town?"

"Jeez, you really don't know how to make conversation, do you?" Ichigo remarked sarcastically.

Uryuu glared at him

"How should I know?" Ichigo responded. "What they do is none of my business."

"Well, they must have, because this morning I sensed a shinigami around here."

"Oh, that's just Rukia," Ichigo explained, relieved that Uryuu's question had such a simple answer. "And could you not talk about this here? Someone will overhear us."

"It wasn't her," Uryuu continued, ignoring him. "It was someone else. Besides, I've been detecting some abnormal spiritual pressure recently…do you know anything about that?"

Ichigo tensed, suddenly very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking.

"No, I don't! Would you just lay off the questions? What makes you think I know any more than you do? I suck at sensing spiritual pressure!"

Uryuu scowled, retreating back to his desk as the teacher called the class to order.

Ichigo listened to the lectures that day more intently than he ever had in his life, even going so far as to demonstrate math problems on the board (something he generally avoided at all costs). It wasn't until his substitute shinigami badge sprang to life and announced the presence of a hollow that Ichigo allowed anything other than his education to enter his mind.

Uryuu, Chad, and Orihime, the only ones who could hear the commotion his badge caused, glanced at him sideways, waiting for him to make up some excuse so he could skip out on class to exorcise the hollow.

Ichigo sighed, considering just letting Rukia take care of it, especially since he was not all too eager to draw upon the powers of his zanpakutou. Eventually he decided against it though, recalling how much she hated to be bothered on her days off, and slowly raised his hand to convince his teacher that he simply could not bear to sit in class with such an awful headache any longer.

Once he'd successfully escaped the classroom Ichigo broke into a run, planning to end things with the hollow as quickly and cleanly as possible. However, something in him couldn't help but hope for a challenge, something for him to pour all of his built up energy into. He psyched himself up as much as he could, hoping his excitement for battle would be enough to stifle the voice inside him for the time being.

Unfortunately, Ichigo was terribly wrong.

The hollow proved fairly weak, its movements slow and lacking in power. Ichigo ran towards it, brandishing the edge of his zanpakutou.

_Let me out._

Ichigo stopped suddenly, quickly refocusing all of his energy into silencing the voice.

_LET ME OUT! I WANT TO FIGHT! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!_

The hollow swung one of its long arms dangerously close to Ichigo's head. It was all he could to do block the attack with his zanpakutou and jump backwards.

"Shit…shit…this isn't happening," he said to himself, trying not to panic.

"Do you have this under control?" someone called out to him, catching both Ichigo and the voice by surprise.

"Rukia…" he stared at her, not sure why or how she got to him, but he didn't care. She was there, and that was all that mattered.

_She's in the way. Get rid of her, _demanded the voice, trying once again to take charge of Ichigo's body and mind.

_**YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER,**_ Ichigo thought back, overcome with anger at the idea of losing himself to something that would harm one of his friends.

_I'll do whatever I want. GET HER OUT OF THE WAY! _

_**YOU WILL NOT FUCKING TOUCH HER!**_

The voice failed to respond. Ichigo remained still for a few seconds, making sure the silence within him would last. It seemed that for now, at least, his determination to protect Rukia was sufficient to regain control.

Rukia approached him slowly after she'd finished with the hollow, the expression on her face quickly switching from concern to anger as she literally tried to beat him into admitting that something was wrong. He eventually managed to escape, smiling bitterly to himself, as he knew that Rukia wouldn't have to wait long for an answer.

Ichigo couldn't keep it from her any longer, not when he was putting her in danger by simply being near her. He'd have to tell her that his inner hollow had returned.

***

"Let's go and sit someplace quiet," Rukia suggested, walking with Uryuu towards the city park. During this time of day there weren't many people around aside from mothers with their small children, who most likely wouldn't be able to see Rukia and would want to stay far away from a teenage boy who appeared to be talking to himself.

"That's fine," replied Uryuu, following Rukia towards an old picnic bench.

"So what did you want to ask me?" Rukia began, saving her questions until she'd heard everything Uryuu had to say.

"I tried to ask Kurosaki this earlier, but naturally he was oblivious…I'll just be forward with you: has the Soul Society sent any other shinigami to this area?"

"Yes, one…I actually just met with her this morning. Apparently the twelfth division has detected some 'strange readings' in this area and wanted to send someone to investigate."

Uryuu nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"We're to stay out of her way," added Rukia.

"Do you happen to know anything about these 'strange readings'?" Uryuu asked.

"No…that was actually what I was planning to ask you."

Uryuu breathed in slowly, shaking his head. "I'd sensed some abnormal spiritual pressure earlier…but it was like nothing I'd ever felt before."

Rukia couldn't help but smile a little. The turbulent pressure she'd felt from Ichigo earlier that day was anything but unfamiliar…she was positive that Uryuu would be able to recognize it in an instant. She relaxed, glad that Ichigo wasn't the cause of such commotion.

"Kuchiki-san? Is something the matter?"

"No…it's nothing. But this spiritual pressure…can you describe it? I haven't sensed anything strange lately," admitted Rukia.

Uryuu, a Quincy who relied on the spirit particles in the environment to form his power, was especially adept at sensing these sorts of things, more so than most of the shinigami in the Soul Society.

"At first whatever I sensed seemed similar to myself…it takes its abilities from the environment as opposed to within itself. But parts of its spiritual pressure were very similar to that of a shinigami…to be honest I don't know quite what to make of it. It's almost as if it were a shinigami-Quincy hybrid."

"Hmm."

Both parties sat quietly for a few moments, trying to make sense of everything. On one hand, Rukia felt as though a huge weight had been lifted. She could stop worrying so much about Ichigo, although it still bothered her that something seemed to be troubling him so much. On the other hand, however, she wasn't sure that the Soul Society could handle another disaster quite so soon after the Winter War. If these "strange readings" turned out to be a serious threat, well…it was something she'd rather not think about.

"Kuchiki-san, you said you had questions for me?" Uryuu eventually asked, breaking the silence.

Rukia shook her head. "No…you've answered all of my questions. If there's nothing else, I should be going," she said.

Uryuu nodded. "That's all I wanted to speak with you about…although there was one thing I wanted to mention. I'm sure you noticed, but when Kurosaki was fighting the hollow earlier today…"

"I know," Rukia cut in quickly. "I'll make him talk to me."

"Of course. Thank you for your time," said Uryuu, standing up to leave. "Oh…it looks as though we have a visitor," he commented, watching Ichigo run towards them.

"RUKIA! Hey, Rukia! What are you doing out here? It took me forever to find you…Ishida? What are you doing here? What is _he _doing here?" he yelled, looking back and forth between Rukia and Uryuu.

"What are YOU doing here?" Rukia asked, genuinely confused.

"I need to tell you something…but why are you out here with Ishida?" demanded Ichigo, who seemed genuinely confused as well.

"Relax, Ichigo…it's not _that_," Rukia explained, rolling her eyes.

"I'll see you later, Kurosaki, Kuchiki-san."

"Goodbye," Rukia said as Uryuu began to leave. "Oh, seems like there's another hollow," she muttered, checking her cell phone as Ichigo's badge went off.

"Do you two have this under control?" asked Uryuu.

"Yes, I'll go take care of…that's strange, it's gone," noted Rukia, watching the flashing dot on her phone disappear.

Uryuu perked up. "I just sensed it again," he said.

"Sensed what? What's going on? Maybe Chad or Orihime dealt with it on their way back from school," Ichigo suggested.

"No, it's something else, I'll explain it all later," Rukia said.

"I'm going to go check it out. Are you coming?" Uryuu offered.

"No…the reinforcement from the Soul Society doesn't want us interfering," said Rukia.

"Reinforcement? Rukia, _what_ is going on?"

"Ichigo, I will explain it to you later! Ishida, the Soul Society has this under control…"

Uryuu shook his head. "What the Soul Society does is none of my concern. I'll be going," he said, preparing to run off in the direction of the spiritual pressure. He suddenly stopped himself, though, as someone landed directly in front of him.

"Not a step further," she said, staring Uryuu dead in the face.

"Nakamura-san," Rukia greeted, completely at a loss for words in the midst of the growing chaos.

Her own mind was racing, wondering why Michiko had come and exactly how much of the conversation she had overheard. Meanwhile, Ichigo chattered in her ear, demanding to know where Uryuu wanted to go, why he wanted to go there, and who exactly had stopped him. Uryuu, on the other hand, kept his mouth shut, but matched Michiko's icy glare, returning it right back at her.

"Where I go has nothing to do with the likes of you," he said coldly, attempting to step around her.

"I'd show a little respect if I were you. You'll want to hear what I have to say," she spat back.

"I highly doubt that…"

"Now, now, kids. This is no way to problem solve," interjected yet _another_ person. Kisuke Urahara sat perched in a nearby tree, amusedly watching the proceedings below him. "Besides, I have some information I think you'll all be very interested in…"

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A/N: I realize there was a lot going on at the end of the chapter...let me know if the pace was a little too fast. I really want to hear your feedback! Thank you so much for the reviews, keep 'em coming :)


	3. Ancient History

I don't own Bleach, etc etc.

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**Ancient History**

Ichigo stared up at Urahara, not sure whether to be shocked or relieved by his presence. He did know one thing, however; that he was completely and utterly confused.

Not only had Rukia and Uryuu been conducting some sort of secret meeting in the park, but Uryuu was about to dart off after some weird spiritual pressure that Ichigo never heard mentioned before and couldn't sense to save his life. And, if that wasn't enough, a strange shinigami he very vaguely remembered from the Winter War popped up out of nowhere and was now engaged in a rather frightening staring contest with Uryuu.

"Before we go anywhere, you need to explain to me exactly what's going on," he said, crossing his arms stubbornly and sitting down on the bench.

_You tell 'em, Ichigo,_ snickered his hollow.

Ichigo ignored him, unwilling to be provoked.

"I'm waiting," he said.

"Ah hah, well aren't you impatient…I'll sum it up for you quickly," said Urahara, jumping down on the ground. "The Soul Society has detected a strange spiritual pressure around here lately. I'm assuming they sent this woman," he said, nodding at Michiko, "to investigate. And now you're up to speed. So shall we go?"

Ichigo stood up, still not satisfied with Urahara's answer, but willing to bite his tongue for the time being.

"Yeah, all right."

Rukia nodded, followed by a reluctant Uryuu.

Urahara turned to Michiko. "And what about you, Miss…?"

"Michiko Nakamura, second division," she said. "I'll hear what you have to say, but I have to inform you that I'll be repeating anything I deem useful information to my superiors."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Urahara said.

Once they'd all arrived at the Urahara Shop, Urahara led them into a back room and invited them to sit around a small table.

"I don't want to waste any of your time, so I'll just dive right in," he said once they were all seated. "For starters, I have pretty good reason to believe that the things responsible for the strange spiritual pressure are what I've been calling Elementals. An Elemental is a being with the ability to infuse its own spiritual energy into the energy in the environment. To put it simply, they can control things like wind, water, fire, et cetera. However, they can make those elements more powerful by adding their own spiritual pressure."

"So I was right," Uryuu chimed in. "These Elementals are like shinigami-Quincy hybrids. They take their powers from the environment like a Quincy, but they also have spiritual energy within themselves, like a shinigami."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," said Urahara. "That's also why I'm assuming no one here but Ishida-san has been able to sense them, as Quincies are much more sensitive to spiritual pressure, and the Elementals don't have as much as, say, a shinigami."

Uryuu nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Ichigo scowled, slightly irritated that Uryuu acted so smugly about all of this. He smirked, reminding himself that he was still very capable of trashing him in battle.

"Any questions before I move on?" Urahara asked, bringing Ichigo out of his fantasy fight.

"Where do these Elementals come from then? Surely there's nothing like them in the Soul Society," said Michiko.

"That's quite right, Nakamura-san, they're not from the Soul Society. This hasn't been confirmed yet, but I'm fairly certain that a shinigami named Yasuo created them," explained Urahara a bit bitterly. "He was my mentor, and a brilliant scientist. However, he was also a very corrupt man who was never satisfied with his status in the Gotei-13. One day I arrived at his lab to help him with an experiment, and the entire place was torn apart, with Yasuo nowhere in sight. Later that day, I learned that the Central 46 Chambers arrested him and convicted him of treason. He had apparently made plans to overthrow the Central 46 and seize control himself, although I don't know the details...needless to say he was exiled to Earth, and that was the last I'd ever heard of him."

"So Yasuo is trying to overthrow the Soul Society," clarified Rukia.

Urahara shook his head. "This is about much more than simply trying to overthrow the Soul Society. Kurosaki-san, let me ask you a question," he said, shifting his attention to Ichigo. "Recently, have you gotten any hollow alerts that have been dead ends?"

Ichigo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Has your substitute shinigami badge alerted you to the presence of a hollow, but when you arrived at the scene there was nothing there?"

"Yeah, that happens every once in a while," admitted Ichigo. "But I'd always assumed Chad or Inoue or Ishida just got their first."

"I see," said Urahara. "Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. I've been mapping the spiritual readings around Karakura Town very carefully, and the ones responsible for destroying those hollows were definitely Elementals."

"But I don't get it…wouldn't that just be helpful to the Soul Society?" asked Ichigo.

"Oh no," Urahara said. "When an Elemental destroys a hollow, the hollow only disappears. In other words, Elementals can't exorcise hollows like shinigami can."

Michiko's eyes widened. "So the balance of souls…"

Urahara nodded. "That's correct. If the Elementals are allowed to continue destroying hollows as they are, the balance of souls will be lost, and life as we know it will cease to exist."

"Wait, but that doesn't make any sense," Ichigo argued. "Why would this Yasuo person do something that puts him in danger too?"

"He probably doesn't care about that," Urahara explained. "Yasuo doesn't care who gets hurt as long as he gets his revenge. Even if he dies in the process."

Ichigo didn't want to admit it, but he felt a twinge of excitement upon hearing Urahara's description of the coming threat. Of course, he didn't want anyone else to get injured, but something in him yearned for the raw simplicity of battle. Above all, he wanted something he could really sink his teeth into. He felt guilty just thinking about it, but he couldn't deny it made his heart beat a little faster.

"All right," he said, a fiery determination he hadn't felt in months racing through his body. "What do we do now?"

Urahara smiled. "I always did like your spirit," he chuckled. "For the time being I'd like you all to sit tight until I can confirm that what I just told you all is actually the truth. I'll definitely have an answer for you by tomorrow, though. But for now, do not, and I repeat, _do not_ go after the Elementals unless you're directly provoked. Kindly meet back here at the same time tomorrow, and we'll discuss how to proceed."

"I can't promise you anything," Michiko said. "I'll convey this information back to my captain and act based on her orders."

"Actually," Urahara said, maneuvering himself so that he effectively blocked the exit, "I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell your captain just yet."

"But you said that it wouldn't be a problem."

"Ah ha ha, did I now?" said Urahara innocently. "The thing is, Nakamura-san, someone by the name of Yoruichi Shihouin is investigating all of this as we speak. She probably wouldn't be all too pleased with you if you tell the Soul Society about our efforts prematurely. And I don't think Captain Soi Fon would appreciate it if you upset Yoruichi. Besides, I'm just asking you to wait for twenty-four hours."

Michiko glared at him. "You really leave me no choice."

"I'm glad we're in agreement then!" Urahara exclaimed, stepping out of the way of the exit. "Have a nice day! Take care now," he said, ushering them outside and shutting the door behind them.

Uryuu and Michiko both darted away before Ichigo could say anything, leaving him standing with Rukia in the gradually fading evening light.

"Shall we?" she said, nodding in the direction of his house.

"Ah…yeah."

***

Rukia walked in silence for a while, still trying to absorb everything Urahara said back in the shop. If everything he said was true, which was very likely, the Soul Society might not have the energy or the will to react effectively. It was really the worst possible scenario she could imagine.

"Don't worry," Ichigo said. "I won't let these guys win."

Rukia looked up at him walking beside her, and although she knew he had no idea what he was talking about and he would have said the exact same thing if a gigantic meteor was about to crash into the very spot where they stood, she couldn't help but feel comforted by his reassurance.

"Is that so?" she asked.

"Yes."

"By the way, Ichigo, didn't you want to tell me something earlier?" Rukia asked suddenly, remembering how he ran up to greet her at the park.

"Oh! Yeah, I did. Let's go sit over there," he suggested, pointing towards a bench near the edge of the river.

"Sure." Rukia noticed a hint of anxiety in his voice. She didn't blame him. For Ichigo to willingly talk to her…well, for him to willingly talk to anyone really about a problem was a huge step. She imagined that since it'd come to him offering this information freely, whatever he had to share meant a lot to him. Truthfully, it made her a little nervous as well.

Once they'd both sat down Ichigo began, staring off into the distance as he spoke.

"I don't really know how to start…but…I'm sure you've noticed it already…" he exhaled sharply. "_He's_ back."

Rukia's heart sank. Even though she already knew to some degree, hearing Ichigo say it, admitting it both to himself and to her, added a grim reality to the situation that bothered her more than she expected.

"I did notice," she said quietly. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll figure something out. But in the meantime…I want…I mean I don't _want_…but it would be better for you if you weren't around me."

"WHAT?! Ichigo, that's ridiculous! Why on Earth would I stay away from you?" yelled Rukia.

"Because he might hurt you! He said it earlier…when we were fighting that hollow. He wanted to hurt you. It isn't safe," Ichigo insisted.

"Did he?"

"Did he what?"

"Did he hurt me?" asked Rukia.

Ichigo shook his head. "But what about next time? What if I can't control him…?"

"Would you ever let him hurt me?"

"Of course not," Ichigo answered immediately, almost reflexively.

They looked at each other.

"There's you're answer then," Rukia said, turning her eyes away from his as a light flush crept into her cheeks.

"I'm just looking out for you."

"Ichigo…why do you think I would just abandon you at a time like this? Why do you think I would let you go through this alone?"

Ichigo sighed. "I know you wouldn't! So I'm telling you it's all right."

"Well it's not," said Rukia. "I'm not going anywhere."

They remained quiet for a while, watching the water gently ripple by before them. Rukia hugged her knees in to her chest, attempting to sort through the many emotions bearing down on her all at once. It didn't take long, however, for her to identify the one that she felt the most. Rukia was angry. She was angry that Ichigo thought she would abandon him, angry that his hollow was trying to take him away from her, and angry that it had decided to make an appearance just when the world was about to be thrown into chaos. She dropped her head into her hands, wishing that just for a moment she could disappear and forget that the world seemed to be collapsing around her.

"You're too stubborn for your own good, you know," Ichigo said, an expression Rukia knew meant that he surrendered.

"Well…if I weren't so stubborn, where would you be?" she countered, sitting up straight.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, reaching his hand over her shoulder and lightly pulling her head onto his arm.

"It's a nice sunset."

* * *

A/N: I know this chapter was really dialogue heavy, but things will pick up soon! I promise! I hope you enjoyed chapter 3, please review and have a wonderful day! :)


	4. A Task Force

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.

* * *

**A Task Force**

The seconds passed by painfully slowly as Ichigo lay in the darkness of his room, trying to force his racing mind to quiet itself enough for him to fall asleep. He relaxed his body little by little, focusing first on his feet and working his way up. Once he'd reached his shoulders he stopped, noticing that the spot where Rukia had rested her head a few hours earlier still felt strangely warm. It was actually kind of pleasant, he noted thoughtfully.

Thinking of Rukia sent a pang of guilt through his stomach. She was undoubtedly sleeping soundly just feet away from him, the only thing separating them the thin piece of wood that made up his closet door. As much as Ichigo wished she'd listened to him earlier, and given her safety a higher priority, he knew that he really didn't want her to leave. He scowled, irritated with himself for being so selfish. The upcoming battles with these supposed "Elementals" would most likely put an end to the problem of his inner hollow…although he wasn't exactly sure yet if the end would be a favorable one.

_It's gonna be fun…you gonna let me fight these guys? _asked his hollow, slowly seeping out of the emotional cage Ichigo previously constructed for it.

_**Like hell I will,**_ Ichigo thought back, grinning a little. _**There's no way I'm letting you have all the fun.**_

_Ha! Good answer…but you'd better watch your back…I'll be watching your every move, waiting for my chance to beat you into the ground…_

Ichigo rolled over onto his side, grimly determined to set things straight once and for all. _**We'll see about that,**_ he retaliated, waiting in silence until he could be sure that his hollow was finished toying with him for the night. Satisfied that their short conversation really had come to a close, Ichigo allowed sleep to take over, his reflections on the previous day tapering off into a dark nothingness.

--

Waiting to meet back with Urahara the next day proved extremely agonizing. Ichigo found it nearly impossible to concentrate in school that day, thoroughly preoccupied with playing each and every scenario for the coming events out in his mind. If Urahara was wrong about the Elementals, and there really was no imminent danger, what would he do? How would he find the strength to hold back his inner hollow? Ichigo had indeed grown complacent, comfortable, and stagnant, which inevitably resulted in the mess he now found himself in. His bored and unchallenged state provided his hollow with the perfect opportunity to catch Ichigo off guard and make his move to assume control. Ichigo needed something to fight for, a reason to grow stronger. Without that, he was nothing.

_**There's always going back to the Vizards**_, Ichigo sighed, not exactly thrilled at the prospect of running back with his tail between his legs to the ones who'd originally taught him how to control his hollow. _**Besides**_, he thought, _**what else is there that they can do for me? **_Ichigo didn't know if he could survive another encounter with his hollow, at least not in his current state. When he fought the sad excuses for hollows that wandered into Karakura Town there was no passion, no sense of urgency. He just moved blindly through the motions, barely feeling any satisfaction when the monster collapsed at his feet. Where had his determination gone? Since when had his life become so much less fulfilling? Ichigo didn't exactly know, and he didn't exactly wish to. For better or for worse, he now had a chance to find himself again, and that was all that mattered.

Ichigo eventually made it to Urahara's shop, slightly dismayed to find that he was the first one there. Or, rather, that Rukia wasn't. Something about her presence lately seemed to tie him down to the reality he seemed to be losing.

"Kurosaki," someone said sharply, coming up quickly behind him.

Ichigo jumped, spinning around to see Michiko standing behind him.

"Oh! Hey there…" he responded, not exactly sure what to say to her.

"Why are you waiting outside?" she asked, knocking lightly on the door before twisting open the handle.

Ichigo stared at her. "I thought Urahara was gonna come get us when he was ready…"

Michiko shrugged, pushing open the door. "He'd have locked it if he wanted us out. Are you coming?"

"Of…of course I'm coming! Why would I want to wait out here like an idiot?" Ichigo snapped, somewhat embarrassed with himself.

"Then don't," she replied, her eyes following him as he walked past her into the building.

Ichigo didn't quite know how to feel about this Michiko person popping in all of a sudden and ordering him around with such superiority. He couldn't say he wasn't used to such treatment, especially from members of the Soul Society, although that didn't make it any less irritating.

"Kurosaki-san, Nakamura-san," Urahara greeted, smiling as they walked into the back room to find Uryuu, Rukia, and Yoruichi Shihouin, a long time friend of Urahara and former Gotei-13 captain, seated at the table.

"Did you know I was waiting out there?" Ichigo demanded. Urahara grinned sheepishly, refusing to say anything. "Why didn't you come get me? How long were you planning on letting me wait? And you…neither of you thought to come and let me in?" he asked, pointing dramatically at Rukia and Uryuu.

"Ichigo, don't hold me accountable for what you do," Rukia sighed. Uryuu nodded, closing his eyes.

"Are you finished?" Yoruichi asked Ichigo, and although she narrowed her eyes menacingly in his direction, Ichigo could tell she was just as amused at his oblivious nature as the others.

"Whatever," he grumbled, dropping himself down next to Rukia.

"Shall we begin?" asked Urahara. The table nodded in agreement, Ichigo's heart pounding violently on the inside of his chest.

"For the past few days I've been investigating what Urahara and I believe to be Yasuo's hideout," Yoruichi explained, the flicker of amusement on her face from a moment ago completely absent. "I learned a couple of very enlightening things, the first being that Yasuo and his army, yes, army," she repeated, "of Elementals are indeed trying to take revenge on the Soul Society by upsetting the balance of souls."

Ichigo exhaled slowly, all the tension that had built up in his body until this point floating away. He had his second chance, his shot at redemption. He glanced at Rukia, waiting to see her reaction. She closed her eyes and nodded, her face adopting a certain weariness that Ichigo had never seen in her before. If anything, he decided, he would have to end this quickly, for her sake.

"The other thing I discovered," Yoruichi continued, "is that Yasuo is dead."

"What?" Uryuu interrupted, wrinkling his brow in confusion. "What do you mean dead? How can he be controlling the Elementals if he isn't alive?"

"That's exactly what we need to find out," answered Yoruichi. "Yasuo is dead, and yet the Elementals are still carrying out his will. Something must be controlling them," she said, "and we need to figure out what it is so we can destroy it. Hopefully if we can destroy the source, the Elementals will be much easier to deal with. If anything, they will stop killing hollows, and as of right now, that is our first priority."

"So what do you propose we do?" asked Michiko, crossing her arms.

"I've already spoken with the Soul Society about this, and they agree that the first thing we should do is create a small task force to investigate the Elementals and, if we can, identify the source of their power. We'll act accordingly based on our findings. So Nakamura," she said, turning to Michiko, "you will be accompanying me, since your experience in the second division will be useful for this type of mission. Ishida, I'd like you to come as well, because you seem to be able to sense the Elementals the most effectively out of all of us. Is that all right?" she asked, glancing at Uryuu.

"I'd rather not involve myself with matters of the Soul Society…but I would like to conduct an investigation of these Elementals myself. And since you're not directly affiliated with the Soul Society, I suppose it's all right," he said.

Yoruichi nodded. "And lastly, Kuchiki, I'd like you to come along to round out the group. It'll be a good way for you to gain experience," she said.

Ichigo glared at her, extremely upset that he was blatantly excluded from the mission.

"Have you forgotten someone?" he growled.

Yoruichi looked quickly around the table. "No," she said. "Well, you can all get going. I'll give you three days to prepare, and then-"

"I WAS TALKING ABOUT ME!" Ichigo exclaimed, standing up.

Yoruichi laughed. "And why would I take you along on a task like this with me? The success of the mission depends on the group members being able to effectively suppress their spiritual pressure, which you have absolutely no talent in. Whatsoever. You'd give us away in about half a second."

Ichigo scowled, unwilling to give up so easily.

"I'll learn how to suppress my spiritual pressure," he argued. "I mean how hard can it be?"

"Hah, I'll tell you what, Ichigo. If you're so determined to tag along, then I'll give you three days to learn how to do it. On the third day I'll be testing you, and if you pass my test, I'll let you come," she challenged.

Ichigo smirked, delighted by the prospect of this new project.

"You've got yourself a deal."

***

"So, how exactly do you plan to learning how to learn how to conceal your spiritual pressure in three days?" Rukia asked Ichigo once they'd returned to his room.

Ichigo looked at her strangely, tilting his head in confusion. "What do you mean how do I plan on learning it? You'll teach me, right?"

Rukia stared at him.

"You want…me…to teach you," she repeated slowly, making sure she understood him clearly. Ichigo nodded. "And just what makes you think I'd be capable of teaching you something like that in such a short amount of time?"

"I don't know, you're good at this stuff, right?" Rukia rolled her eyes. "Please, I need you to do me this favor," Ichigo pleaded, almost desperately.

Rukia sighed, well aware that she would give in to his request sooner or later. Besides, she needed something to distract her from worrying about the current state of the world. After meeting with Urahara and Yoruichi earlier in the day Rukia felt plagued by an uncomfortable restlessness that churned within her, growing to anxiety, and then to dread…but seeing Ichigo standing in front of her, stubbornly confident in his nonexistent skills, put her mind at least a little more at ease.

"Fine," she conceded, unable to suppress a small smile as she saw the grin that broke out across Ichigo's face.

"Great. Let's get started," he said, waiting for Rukia's instructions.

"All right…I suppose I'll begin by explaining the basis by which shinigami are able to manipulate their spiritual pressure. I'll use diagrams so that you can comprehend…what?" she asked, Ichigo's grin regressing into frown.

"Not the diagrams…" he groaned.

"And just what is wrong with my diagrams? The only reason I'm forced to use them is because there's no other way someone like you could possibly understand the intricate and complicated art of kidou! Give thanks that I've taken time out of my busy day to-"

"ALL RIGHT, I get it, just draw the damn diagrams!"

"So ungrateful," muttered Rukia, reaching for a pen and a pad of paper. "This," she began, sketching a scowling bear with many wavy lines radiating away from him, "is you."

"That's _me_?"

"Yes."

"What are those lines!?" Ichigo demanded, slightly horrified by Rukia's interpretation of him.

"It's your spiritual pressure, IDIOT!" she snapped, throwing the pen at him. "The reason they're going away from you is because you barely control your spiritual pressure at all. You're constantly leaking it out," she explained.

"So what do I do to stop it?" asked Ichigo, rubbing his temple at the point where the pen struck him.

"In theory, it's quite simple…you clear your mind of all emotion, and just focus on sensing your own spiritual pressure and pulling it back to your body. Gather it into as tight of a ball as you can…and the ball should feel like…hmm, how can I say this…it should feel like it's rotating," said Rukia thoughtfully.

"Rotating?" Ichigo repeated skeptically.

"Yes, rotating…"

"So…is that all?"

"Well, once you've reached that point, in order to make your spiritual pressure completely disappear you have to stop the rotation. The more you can slow it down, the fainter your spiritual pressure will be. Here, I'll demonstrate…"

Rukia closed her eyes, concentrating on all of the different threads of spiritual pressure in the room. It wasn't difficult for her to differentiate her own threads from Ichigo's violent, overpowering ones, and it took her barely any time at all to gather them tightly together and slow the rotation of her spiritual pressure down to nothing at all.

"Can you sense the difference?" she asked Ichigo, who nodded, intently watching her every move. Rukia felt her pulse quicken; there was something thrilling about the way his eyes followed her and nothing else. "Now, if I want to maintain the state that I am currently in," she continued, glancing away, "I'll need to constantly focus on stopping the rotation of my spiritual pressure. If I ever lose concentration," she said, releasing the technique a bit, "my spiritual pressure will leak out again."

"Seems simple enough," Ichigo said. "I'll have this mastered in no time…Yoruichi-san will be speechless when she sees me," he snickered.

"We'll see about that," Rukia said. "It's easier said than done. Why don't we go outside and practice a bit?" she suggested.

"Fine."

Rukia brought Ichigo back to the park where she had previously met with Uryuu, figuring that the space was large enough for Ichigo to practice without harming anyone. Not that she thought he would be able to get very far with the technique, at least not today.

"Okay, go ahead and give it a try," she said, sitting on the picnic bench and watching Ichigo as he sat against a tree, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. Rukia laughed to herself; the image of Ichigo in such exaggerated concentration was undeniably amusing. It became less amusing, however, as the minutes dragged on, and soon an hour had passed without Ichigo so much as putting a dent in his overwhelming spiritual pressure.

"Ichigo," she finally called, hopping off of the bench and walking towards him, "take a break."

He nodded, resting his head in his hands. "It's harder than I thought," he admitted.

"Yes," Rukia agreed, sitting next to him. "Do you want a tip?" she offered, anxious to speed up the process.

"Sure," Ichigo said. "I'll take anything."

"All right…so when you're trying to clear your mind, picture just one thing that you can focus on. Like…a number, or a letter, or a leaf or something. That will help you get rid of any other thoughts that are clouding your concentration. Give it a try when you're ready."

"Okay." Ichigo closed his eyes once more, breathing in and out in a slow, even rhythm.

After about ten minutes Rukia began to feel the air around her become lighter. She pinpointed Ichigo's spiritual pressure, realizing that it was slowly but surely decreasing. She sat completely still, not wanting to disturb his progress.

"I think…I'm getting…the hang of it," Ichigo said, his voice strained. He obviously was unable to reign in all of his spiritual pressure, and Rukia could hardly blame him granted just how much of it there was.

"Yes, you're doing a great job," she encouraged him. "It seems like this is as far as you can go for now…now, slowly release your-hey, Ichigo, I said SLOWLY!" she yelled, suddenly knocked backwards by the sheer force of Ichigo's spiritual pressure rushing out of his body.

"Sorry! You okay?" he asked, leaning over her.

Rukia nodded, pushing herself up onto her feet. "I'm fine…you'll just have to work on your control," she said, eyeing Ichigo angrily.

Ichigo suddenly jumped, his substitute shinigami badge springing to life to announce the presence of a hollow.

"It's not far from here," Rukia said, checking her cell phone. "I'll handle this one, you just keep on practicing. Now that you've got the basic idea down you really don't need me here," she said.

Ichigo nodded. "Okay…just be careful."

"Yeah, well, you too! Don't hurt any of the humans," she warned, hoping that she wouldn't regret leaving Ichigo alone to work on his kidou skills.

Rukia sprinted across the park, stopping when she reached the location of the flashing dot on her screen.

"Where are you…" she muttered, unable to sense the hollow's presence.

"Get out of here, Kuchiki," someone hissed sharply. Rukia whirled around to see Michiko bracing herself, her hand tightly gripping the hilt of her zanpakutou.

"What's going on?" Rukia demanded, but stopped, inhaling sharply as she saw a blonde man walking slowly towards her, casually brushing pieces of dirt off of an expensive looking suit. She looked at the behind him, shocked to see a huge fissure in the grass.

"…An Elemental," Michiko said, unsheathing her sword as he advanced closer to where she stood.

"Is that what you're calling us? How cute," laughed the Elemental, rubbing his hands together and pressing them into the ground. The ground split open, forcing Rukia and Michiko to jump backwards and out of the way.

"I'll immobilize him," Rukia yelled, drawing her zanpakutou. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," she said, her sword taking on its trademark snowy white glow. The Elemental darted towards her. "First dance, white moon!" she called, watching as the Elemental became trapped in a column of ice extending towards the evening sky.

The ice began to crack, and suddenly a hand burst through, thrashing helplessly at the air.

"Good job. I'll finish this," said Michiko, holding her zanpakutou in front of her. "Flash, Kaminari," she ordered, placing the blade in the palm of the Elemental's outstretched hand. He instinctively closed his fingers over it, and just as he did the blade began to spark violently, quickly releasing several bursts of electricity through his arm and into his body. The column of ice shattered, and the Elemental collapsed, blood spilling from the places where he'd tightly locked his hand onto Michiko's zanpakutou.

"What…what should we do with him?" Rukia asked.

"I'll make sure he's dead and take his body to Urahara," answered Michiko, nudging his shoulder with the edge of her sword.

"Do you need my help?"

"No. Besides, Kurosaki is about to come rushing to your aid," she pointed out, nodding at Ichigo running towards them at full speed.

Rukia blushed despite herself. "He tends to do that…"

"Well, it doesn't matter to me…I'll be going," she said, hoisting the Elemental over her shoulder and jumping out of sight.

"Rukia! What's going on? I saw the ice from your zanpakutou," Ichigo shouted breathlessly. "What the hell happened to the ground?" he exclaimed, noticing the two huge fissures in the earth.

"It's fine," she assured him, not in any mood to answer his inevitable onslaught of questions. Between the formation of Yoruichi's task force, Ichigo's kidou lessons, and this most recent encounter with the Elemental, Rukia wanted nothing more than to crawl into her closet and sleep away the day. "Let's just go home…"

* * *

A/N: Kaminari (the name of Michiko's zanpakutou) means "thunder/lightning" (at least according to Wikipedia)...

This chapter was longer than I intended it to be, but I'm finally done with all the talking/explanations, yay. Things will be getting more interesting from here on out!

Please review! Let me know both what's working and what isn't...I love constructive criticism! And thank you to everyone who's reviewed/subscribed/faved...you all get cookies :3


	5. Three Days

**Three Days**

"Ichigo…are you…meditating?"

Ichigo opened one eye slowly, jumping in his seat as he saw three faces staring back at him at _much_ closer proximity than he was expecting. He breathed deeply, shaking his head.

"Um…then what _are _you doing?" asked Orihime Inoue, raising her finger to her mouth in confusion.

"Ah…it's not important…don't worry about it," Ichigo replied with a smile, not exactly excited at the prospect of explaining his kidou training to his overly concerned friends.

"It looked like you were meditating," argued Chad, although his characteristically unenthusiastic tone could hardly be called argumentative.

"Yeah, I was just tired…" out of the corner of his eye Ichigo saw Uryuu smirk to himself, obviously not fooled by Ichigo's story. Ichigo sighed, impatiently waiting for class to start so he could focus on clearing his mind without any further interruptions, and just hope that the teacher would fail to notice his lack of attention during lectures.

"Class, before we get started I have some exciting news!" announced the teacher as the students settled into their seats. "I'd like to introduce our new transfer student, Miss…I'm sorry, what did you say your name was again?"

Ichigo stared in horror at the new "transfer student", an abnormally short, dark haired girl who returned his gaping expression with a smug smile.

"Kuchiki," Rukia answered. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"All right then, Kuchiki. You can have a seat wherever you like."

"Thank you," said Rukia. Ichigo coughed lightly at her false politeness. "I'll take that desk there," she said, sitting down next to Ichigo.

"What…are…you…doing…here?" Ichigo hissed through his teeth.

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid with your training, what else?" replied Rukia, pulling some pens and notebooks out of her bag. "Oh, don't give me that look," she whispered, frowning at Ichigo, who still glared at her as though she'd sold his puppy.

Ichigo shook his head in exasperation, unable to think of anything he could say to her that would possibly make her change her mind and go home. Not that he minded having Rukia around, but her unexpected "transfers" into his class every so often were more trouble than they were worth. For the entire day he'd receive strange looks and questions from his classmates, all of them undoubtedly wondering why the mysterious new student stayed so close to him and seemed so comfortable around him. Of course, they'd forget everything about her as soon as Rukia decided she'd had enough fun for the day, and Ichigo would just be left feeling stressed out and exhausted. All he wanted was a little warning.

"Okay, let's begin," ordered the teacher, and the class uniformly flipped open their textbooks, pens at the ready to record all of the teacher's lecture.

_**All right…concentrate,**_ thought Ichigo, figuring that now was as good a time as any to resume his training. He closed his eyes; letting his mind fall back to the image he'd deemed the most useful in helping him focus. The characters of Rukia's name illuminated themselves in his mind's eye, glowing softly against a dark background. He didn't know why he'd defaulted to using that image, but with such little time left until Yoruichi's test Ichigo wasn't about to contemplate the matter.

He traced over each of the strokes one by one, letting all of his other concerns drift from his thoughts. Unfortunately, however, this did not work as well as his previous attempts. His mind drifted from Rukia's name to a clear picture of her, first in her shinigami robes, and then in her school uniform, standing up in front of the class and introducing herself.

_**She actually looks kind of cute in that uniform, **_Ichigo thought, opening his eyes slightly to glance over at her. Rukia sat casually at her desk, head resting lightly on her fingertips as she doodled in her notebook. Ichigo's eyes wandered down to her legs, neatly crossed underneath the tabletop, the tips of her toes barely brushing the ground as she bounced her foot up and down ever so slightly. Rukia shifted positions, jerking her head in a clean, smooth motion to shake her hair out of her eyes. Ichigo suddenly remembered what it felt like to have her head resting on his shoulder, and he quickly looked away, his face beginning to take on a reddish glow.

_**Shit…I'm not…I don't…I mean…for Rukia?! **_ he asked himself, his breath coming in more and more shallow as it dawned on him that he might feel more for her than he realized. He felt something nudge his arm and looked down, confused to find Rukia slipping a small piece of paper next to his elbow. He picked it up, unfolding it carefully and reading:

_Get back to work, idiot! You're not going to get anywhere daydreaming!_

_**NEVER MIND,**_ he thought bitterly, crumpling the paper and shooting her a nasty glance.

Lunch could not have come soon enough. Mentally exhausted, Ichigo welcomed the break.

"You're getting better," Rukia noted, waiting impatiently for Ichigo to open her juice box, a skill she was never quite able to master.

"Yeah…I think I can get about a fourth of my spiritual pressure under control pretty easily," he agreed.

"All right, well, try to get as far as you can by the time school ends. When we get back to your room I'll take your training a step further."

Ichigo coughed, suddenly choking and sputtering on his water. As hard has he tried, he couldn't help but take Rukia's last remark out of context, especially after examining her figure so closely earlier that day.

"Don't…don't say things like that," he croaked as Orihime rushed towards him, frantically instructing him to take deep breaths as Rukia repeatedly whacked the heel of her hand against his back.

--

"Okay! Now that you've begun to master reigning in your spiritual pressure, we can move on to the second part of the training," Rukia said, lecturing Ichigo as they returned to his house from school. "The next step is to be able to keep your spiritual pressure under control while you multi task. If you can't do that, the entire technique is basically useless."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Ichigo said, exhaling sharply. It took nearly everything he had to keep just a fraction of his spiritual pressure under control; he had no idea how to go about maintaining that state while doing other things.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it," Rukia said, smiling. "You have a way of surprising us all with these types of things."

"Hah, thanks…"

"Right, so the first thing I want you to do is bring in your spiritual pressure as much as you can," instructed Rukia.

Ichigo closed his eyes and focused in on the bright characters of Rukia's name, carefully pulling in as much of his spiritual pressure as he could and slowly stopping its rotation.

"Good. Now, I'm going to give you some simple tasks, and we'll see how well you can perform them."

Ichigo nodded, waiting for Rukia's command.

"Bring me a pencil," she said, sitting herself down on Ichigo's bed. Ichigo stood up carefully, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other while making sure the mass of spiritual pressure he'd collected remained completely still inside of him. It seemed simple enough, and he smiled, relieved that the exercise was proving so much easier than he'd originally thought. He reached his desk, and grabbed the nearest writing utensil he could find.

_**Damn, this is a pen,**_ he noticed, placing it back down and searching for a pencil.

"Don't lose your focus," Rukia warned as Ichigo's spiritual pressure began to slip back out.

"I'm trying," he said through gritted teeth, forgetting to maintain his concentration while he rummaged through his desk. He closed his eyes again, slowly regaining his composure. "All right," he resumed, picking up his search again. He grabbed the first pencil he saw, hastily carrying it to Rukia before he completely lost control.

"Good," she said. "I didn't actually expect you do be able to do that," Rukia admitted, twirling the pencil between her fingers.

"What?! What kind of encouragement is that? You should have more faith in me!" Ichigo exclaimed, offended.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Calm down…you were never good at controlling your spiritual pressure. You should be honored that I even considered moving to this stage in your training!" she retorted to a scowling Ichigo.

"Whatever…let's just practice some more. I want to be able to finish this part by dinner," Ichigo said, trying to divide the amount of time it would take for him to be able to control and maintain all of his spiritual pressure in his head.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you…how have things been with your hollow?" Rukia suddenly asked, catching Ichigo off guard. He thought about it, realizing that he'd gotten through the past day or so without his hollow making any appearances.

"Better, actually," he said. "I haven't heard from him for a while. Ever since we started the kidou training, I guess."

Rukia nodded thoughtfully. "That's interesting…"

"Yeah, I suppose. Now give me another task," Ichigo demanded, suddenly growing impatient. If his hollow seemed to dislike whatever techniques Rukia was making him use, Ichigo wanted to immerse himself in them as deeply as possible as often as he could.

"How rude! Is that any way to speak to your teacher, someone who has graciously given up her precious time to help a hopeless case like-"

"JUST GET ON WITH IT!"

Rukia's eyes widened, and then narrowed menacingly. "FINE! Give Kon a bath," she snapped.

"You…you don't mean that," Ichigo said, instantly regretting his harsh choice of words. Washing the stuffed animal that housed a particularly feisty modified soul was not something Ichigo looked forward to.

Rukia crossed her arms, sticking her nose up at him and turning her head away. "You're just wasting your own time by arguing," she shrugged.

"Please, Rukia-sensei-sama…"

***

"GYAAAAAAAAAH!"

Rukia bolted upright, involuntarily yanking herself out of the tranquility of sleep. She blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the darkness of her closet.

_Did Ichigo just scream? What's going on?_ she frantically asked herself, weakly sliding open the closet door and stumbling out onto the floor.

"SHUT UP! You're going to wake up your family," someone hissed. Through the dark room Rukia could barely make out someone stuffing his hand over Ichigo's mouth, pinning him to the bed as he thrashed underneath. She squinted; as much as the scene before her shocked her, she sensed something very familiar about it.

"Re…Renji?" she whispered, rushing over to Ichigo's bedside. Renji Abarai, her fellow shinigami and childhood friend, was the last person she expected to see. "What are you doing here? Is something wro-"

"Ichi-nii," Ichigo's sister Karin called, knocking at his door. All three of them froze, turning their heads slowly towards the door. "What's going on?"

Ichigo wrenched Renji's hand off of his mouth, gasping for air.

"Everything's all right, Karin, I just…uh…"

"Saw a spider," Rukia suggested quickly.

"I saw a spider," Ichigo echoed. "A spider?!" he mouthed. Rukia shrugged apologetically.

"You saw…a spider," Karin clarified, the concern in her voice giving way to skepticism.

Rukia tugged on Renji's sleeve, gesturing for him to hide out in her closet until she could be sure Karin wouldn't come inside. The Kurosaki family was usually aware of Rukia's comings and goings, but she did not particularly want to explain why another shinigami broke into their house in the middle of the night.

"Y-yeah, it was crawling on my face…it just startled me. Go back to sleep, Karin. I'm sorry I worried you," Ichigo explained.

The atmosphere tensed in the silence as Rukia, Ichigo and Renji (still hiding in the closet) waited to see if Karin would buy the story.

"…You're such a woman sometimes. Dad's never gonna let you live this down," Karin sighed. Rukia and the others relaxed.

"Sure, sure…just go back to bed, all right?" said Ichigo.

"Uh-huh…"

They waited a few moments to speak, wanting to make completely sure Karin was gone.

"Renji, what the HELL are you doing in my room!?" Ichigo spat, eyeing him nastily as he stepped out of Rukia's closet.

"Yes, Renji, what _are_ you doing here?" Rukia added, curious herself.

"Sorry, sorry…I was actually sent here to 'compile a report of the goings on in the material world'."

"In the middle of the night? IN MY HOUSE?" Ichigo demanded, his voice escalating.

"Shut up, will ya? Sorry for intruding, but I'm on a bit of a tight schedule…in case you didn't know, the Soul Society's been kind of swamped lately…the Captain needs me back as soon as possible."

Rukia fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling a bit guilty about keeping her distance while things in the Soul Society were so hectic.

"I just need to ask Rukia a few questions, and then I'll be gone," Renji promised, smoothing out some messily crumpled sheets of paper.

"Me?" asked Rukia, wondering what information she had to offer.

"Could you at least take it somewhere else?" groaned Ichigo, shoving his head underneath his pillow. "I have to wake up early tomorrow…"

"Sure…let's go sit on the roof," said Rukia, climbing over Ichigo and out of the window. Renji nodded, following suit.

"So what does the Soul Society want from me?" Rukia asked again once they were situated.

Renji shrugged. "Just the usual…how have the hollows been, has there been anything strange lately…"

Rukia's stomach dropped. Was Renji really asking if there'd been anything strange lately? Had he not heard about the Elementals? Wasn't that the reason the Soul Society wanted a report in the first place? Did he mean anything _else_ strange going on? She wondered whether she should assume he already knew, or if for some reason the Soul Society was keeping the information private…

"I know something weird is happening," he admitted after a few seconds. Rukia exhaled, relieved. "But no one will tell me what. The captains have been on edge for the past few days…it's really stressing me out," he confessed, laughing nervously.

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you," Rukia offered. Renji deserved to know the whole story, and she trusted that he wouldn't go around spreading the information to the wrong people.

Renji shook his head. "Nah, that's all right…if it gets to be enough of a problem I'll find out soon enough, and if it doesn't, I don't want one more thing to have to worry about…"

"I understand…but if the Soul Society already knows what's happening, why did they send you down here to get a report?" Rukia asked, thinking that it was a waste of time and manpower to send someone to investigate something Yoruichi would inevitably divulge anyway.

"Yeah, I wondered the same thing, but I guess I should have explained more clearly: it wasn't the Soul Society who sent me so much as the Captain…"

"Ah." Renji's surprise visit suddenly made a lot more sense. The Captain to which he kept referring was none other than Rukia's older brother Byakuya, who she imagined was not all too pleased with her lengthy absences, especially if he felt they put her in more danger than necessary.

"You should really go back and visit every once in a while, it would take some of the pressure off of me…" sighed Renji.

Rukia stared at him, wrinkling her forehead in confusion. "How exactly would my presence take the pressure off of _you_?"

"You know how the Captain is! He gets in a bad mood when he worries…and who do you think he ends up taking it out on? The Sixth Division is the most miserable place in the entire Seireitei," Renji explained bitterly. "Would it really be so bad if you just dropped in now and then?"

"I suppose I should…"

Rukia sat in silence for a few moments as Renji scribbled messy notes on a few pieces of paper, undoubtedly constructing a report that would most effectively satisfy Byakuya. She smiled to herself, remembering how amusing she found it when Byakuya chewed Renji out for little things like his messy handwriting. It had been a long time since she'd returned to the Soul Society, and she'd nearly forgotten that she had a life other than exorcising hollows and spending a few days a week at Ichigo's house. Rukia felt a twinge of nostalgia, but she quickly put it out of her mind. It wasn't that she didn't ever want to return to the Soul Society, but Ichigo needed her, and she needed him…

"All right, I'm finished. I guess I didn't need to ask you any questions after all," Renji said, smiling sheepishly.

"Wha-then why was it necessary to go through all of that? I could be asleep right now!" demanded Rukia, delivering a well-aimed punch at his shoulder.

"Hey, I can't make _all _of this stuff up, you know! There are certain things Captain Kuchiki asks me about where he'll know if I'm lying…and whether or not I've checked on you is one of them. And that guy is scary. Like…really scary."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Fine…well, I'm going to go back to sleep, I have to tag along with Ichigo to school tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yes, he's practicing some kidou…I want to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

Renji stared at her, suppressing a laugh. "_Ichigo's _practicing _kidou_? How's _that_ working out?"

Rukia scowled, mildly put off by Renji's mocking tone. "He's doing a lot better than _you_ ever did!" she snapped. Renji had no idea how hard Ichigo was working or exactly what he was dealing with. Who was _he_ to judge?

"Hey, I'm not trying to offend you or anything! It's a valid question!"

Rukia sighed. "Right…well I'll see you later I guess. Tell my brother I said hello," she said, climbing down the roof and back into Ichigo's window. While it was nice to see Renji again after so long, his presence just made her worries sink in deeper. She didn't like hearing how the Soul Society was so "on edge" or how much of a bad mood people had adapted. It wasn't as if her presence would do much to change that, so why even bother going back? Although things on Earth hadn't been much better as of late…

"Do us all a favor and tell him yourself," Renji called. "Besides, I don't have to be back until tomorrow night. I'll stick around tomorrow and come visit Ichigo…I want to witness this kidou training with my own eyes," he snickered.

"Good_night_, Renji," Rukia said, smiling despite herself. A little goading from Renji might be just what Ichigo needed to complete the training.

--

Rukia opened her eyes the next morning, squinting at the light that spilled over her as she slid open the closet door. Ichigo's room was quiet, the bed neatly made and his backpack and textbooks notably absent from his desk.

"Wha…what time is it?" Rukia asked herself, groggily trudging over to Ichigo's clock. "9:43…oh, DAMMIT!" she growled, upset with herself for sleeping in and missing the chance to walk to school with Ichigo. "Stupid Renji," she muttered, attributing her need for a few hours of extra sleep to his unexpected visit the previous night (or very early morning). Rukia debated coming to school late, but ultimately decided against it. Ichigo would probably be fine, and she doubted she would be able to convince the secretary to let her into class so late in the day.

Rukia combed through the empty house for her usual fix of tabloids (courtesy of Ichigo's father), looking forward to the prospect of spending the morning reading on Ichigo's bed. However, something bothered her, and she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. She seemed to be forgetting something, or missing something…but Rukia shrugged it off, blaming it on her stress level and lack of sleep. She was sure it would be gone by the afternoon.

After successfully grabbing a few magazines and the entertainment section of the newspaper Rukia crawled on top of Ichigo's bed, pulling open the drapes to let the sunlight flood the dim room. She lied on her side, propping her head up onto her hand and flipping through her reading material. Her unsettling mood began to melt away, and before she knew it her eyelids grew heavy and finally closed shut over her tired eyes.

_I shouldn't nap_, she thought, fighting the waves of drowsiness that kept coming over her. But something about Ichigo's bed just lulled her closer and closer to sleep. All Rukia could think about was how nice pillow felt against her face, and how the fabric held the lingering scent of Ichigo's shampoo, most likely due to his habit of showering at night…it was almost as if he were sleeping just behind her. She could hear the even rhythm of his breathing, feel his hand reach over her side and pull her towards him…

--

"Ssh, I think she's asleep," someone whispered. Rukia drifted in and out of consciousness, barely aware of someone standing over her. She kept her eyes closed, not yet ready to end whatever dream she was having. She didn't fully remember it, but as far as she could tell it was nice…very nice…

"Let's just go somewhere else. I'll leave a note," Ichigo muttered, quietly pulling a piece of paper out of his bag and hastily scribbling her a message. His voice jolted Rukia out of her hazy state, and she pressed her face into the pillow, suddenly aware that she was blushing uncontrollably. Since when did Ichigo have this effect on her? She squeezed her eyes shut, now convinced that she would continue to feign sleep until Ichigo and who she could only assume to be Renji left.

Once she could be sure the boys were out of the house Rukia sat up, stretching her arms above her head and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She blinked a few times until her eyesight settled, and made her way over to the desk to read Ichigo's note.

_Rukia,_

_Renji and I went to practice kidou at the park. See you later,_

_Ichigo_

"I figured as much," she said to herself, slightly disappointed that the note wasn't longer, although she didn't know what else she'd want him to include. She grabbed her magazines from the bed and brought them over to the desk, deciding that the desk was a much safer place to read and didn't lend itself to naps quite so easily.

She flipped through pages of celebrity gossip for an hour or so, until the same restless and uncomfortable sensation she'd felt earlier returned and finally became so distracting that she was forced to abandon reading altogether.

_What is going on…? _she wondered, pacing around the room as the feeling became progressively worse. Suddenly she stopped, gasping as the answer came to her. She tried to search out Ichigo's spiritual pressure and barely sensed any. It felt like he'd completely disappeared. Rukia sat back down, thoroughly embarrassed by her reaction to Ichigo's progression through his kidou training. She'd grown so used to his constant presence that when she could no longer sense him it turned her into a nervous wreck. How had things gotten to this point? When did she begin to care so much?

She yelped, nearly knocked off her seat as Ichigo's spiritual pressure came rushing back.

"IDIOT!" she yelled, stamping out of the house and sprinting to the park. _What did I tell him about releasing his spiritual pressure slowly?_ She should have known better than to leave him alone with Renji. Those two imbeciles were probably competing to see who could cause the most damage. But no matter, Rukia would make sure that they repented for submitting to such stupidity. _I'll show them what REAL kidou is like…

* * *

_A/N: Yeesh, this chapter was so long! Sorry for taking a while to update, school is...school. Unfortunately I have a particularly hellish week ahead of me, so I'll be laying low for a bit. Lo siento mucho :(

As always, have a wonderful day, and reviews are love :) I really appreciate your feedback!


	6. Hide and Seek I

I am SO SORRY for taking so long to update! School was very intense for a while, and then it was Royai day (which will make sense if you know what it is haha), but now I am BACK and I am so excited to keep writing this fic! :D

I'm splitting this chapter into two parts, since otherwise it would be obscenely long. So here is part one, I hope you like it! And thank you all for reviewing!

* * *

**Hide and Seek (I)**

"Is…is that a demon?"

"I don't know…but I'm afraid…so afraid…"

Renji and Ichigo knelt on the ground, staring up at a very, _very_ infuriated Rukia. She glared down at both of them, the late afternoon sunlight casting a dark shadow on her stony face.

"…You have ten seconds to explain to me what you two IDIOTS are doing out here," she growled through clenched teeth, her eyes widening.

"We just…we just thought that if Ichigo and I made a competition out of the whole kidou training it would…you know…m-motivate him?" Renji stuttered frantically. Ichigo nodded vigorously, intently studying Rukia's face for traces of mercy.

Rukia sighed, closing her eyes. "Explanation…DENIED!" she shouted, pushing back her sleeves and holding her hands out in front of her.

"What are you…what are you doing? Rukia?! HEY!" Ichigo cried, stumbling backwards and tripping over a bush. Rukia slowly advanced on the two cowering men, and Ichigo could have sworn he saw a hint of amusement in her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Hadou thirty-three: blue fire crash down…" she recited softly. Ichigo stared in horror as a mass of blue flames collided with his face. He lay sprawled out amongst the leaves and branches, cringing as he heard Renji yelp and fall violently to the ground.

"Are you CRAZY?!" Ichigo yelled, blinking open his throbbing eyelids.

"Am I crazy…? Am _I _crazy?" Rukia repeated slowly, her voice escalating. "You're asking me that when you two stupid, stupid CHILDREN are threatening the well being of half of Karakura Town with your pathetic displays of manliness?! And what do _you_ have to say about this?" she spat, turning to a charred Renji. "I would think you'd know better, seeing as all of your past experiences with kidou have been complete disasters."

Renji sighed. "Well it _worked_, didn't it? For a little while Ichigo was able to completely suppress his reiatsu. And…well, tell her what happened," he said, nodding towards Ichigo.

"Yeah…it was kinda weird, but when I suppressed my energy enough my zanpakutou…changed," explained Ichigo, plucking leaves out of his hair.

"It changed? What exactly do you mean?" demanded Rukia, examining the large, cleaver-like weapon fastened to his back. "It looks the same to me."

Ichigo shook his head. "It was different. It was smaller and shaped normally, the way yours and Renji's are now," he said, pointing to the sword hanging at Rukia's hip. "But once I stopped the training it turned back." Ichigo shrugged his shoulder under the familiar weight of his zanpakutou. For the brief moments it had changed shape the shock of feeling a slender blade in place of his usual sword nearly made him break the concentration he'd struggled so hard to maintain. It was cold and foreign, yet at the same time he could barely sense Zangetsu pulsing from deep within its core. It called to him, pleading, no, _begging_ to be set free. Ichigo shivered at the memory, both frightened and thrilled by it. Although, he reminded himself, which part of Zangetsu was calling to him? As much as he wanted to believe it was the old man, he knew better than to fool himself that way.

"There's a simple explanation for that," Rukia snapped impatiently. "If you two weren't so thick you'd probably have figured it out for yourselves. Ichigo, your sword is constantly in a released state because you are unable to reign in your spiritual pressure. That constant outpour of reiatsu forces your zanpakutou into its shikai state. Once you stop the outpour, your zanpakutou reverts back to the way mine is now. Understand?"

Ichigo nodded, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "Yeah, it makes sense…it just felt…weird," he admitted, although "weird" couldn't begin to describe it.

"Do you think I care?" scoffed Rukia, circling behind Ichigo. He braced himself, knowing full well what was to come, and fully aware that resistance was futile. He stumbled forward, propelled by Rukia thrusting her foot into the middle of his back. "Get going back home," she ordered, pointing him in the direction of his house.

"Jeez…do you really have to do that?!" Ichigo groaned. "Besides, what about Renji?"

Rukia grinned. "Oh, he's got one coming-"

"That's not what I meant!" Ichigo quickly interrupted before Rukia had the chance to strike. "What are you going to do now? Are you going to stay with Urahara?"

Renji shook his head. "Nah…I should be getting back to the Soul Society. If I stay here any longer the Captain will pitch a fit…"

Rukia's expression softened a bit. "You're leaving now?"

"Yeah…as much as I'd like to stay here and help Ichigo out – I mean…stay out of his way," he added quickly as Rukia shot him a nasty glance, "I just can't. So I'll see you two around…Ichigo, Rukia," he nodded.

"Tell everyone I said hi," Ichigo said, nodding in Renji's direction. "Have a safe trip back."

"Give everyone my greetings as well," Rukia added, waving as a black butterfly fluttered around Renji's head, creating a portal through which Renji could reenter the Soul Society.

"I will…don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, Ichigo," he called, disappearing through the gate.

"That idiot…as if he didn't _increase_ the number of stupid things you do…" grumbled Rukia, making her way back to Ichigo's house.

Ichigo scowled, not exactly thrilled with Rukia's reaction to what he felt to be a great advancement in his training. He hoped he would impress her with his progress and give her something to smile about. He'd noticed these past few days how tense she seemed; this business with the Elementals had undoubtedly bothered here more than he would have liked it to. It wasn't like her to be so unsure. Ichigo knew he had to be stronger; at least enough to be one thing Rukia didn't have to worry about.

_Hmm…I like that resolve,_ whispered his hollow, his voice just barely reaching Ichigo.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he groaned, although he was pleased that the voice didn't seem as strong as before.

"What was that?" asked Rukia, turning back to look at him as they walked.

"Nothing…" Ichigo sighed, shaking his head. "It's fine."

"Ichigo," Rukia began, staring at the ground, "will you really be all right for Yoruichi's test tomorrow? I know you always manage to pull off the impossible, but this is different…"

"Che…I'll do it," Ichigo answered.

"Don't 'che' me," Rukia snapped, glaring back at him. "You could really hurt yourself! Or someone else…I just…"

"Rukia," Ichigo cut in, "I'll be fine," he assured her determinedly, figuring that now was as good a time as any to quell all of her doubts, even if, although he hated to admit it, they were somewhat well founded. The truth of the matter was that even if he could completely suppress his reiatsu, he couldn't maintain it for very long. He had no idea what type of "test" Yoruichi had in store for them tomorrow, but knowing her, it wouldn't be easy.

Ichigo stopped himself. It didn't matter how difficult the test was. The only thing he knew was that he had no option other than succeeding. Whether it was willpower, adrenaline, or sheer desperation, he would find a way. Although he had definitely quieted down over the past few days, Ichigo knew all too well that his hollow had no intentions of leaving him alone anytime soon. If Ichigo couldn't find himself again, if he couldn't regain the passion he had lost, he didn't know what would happen…but he wouldn't allow himself to be near Rukia anymore, not when there was a chance she could get hurt…

He clenched his jaw together, feeling his stomach drop at his most recent thought.

"Something wrong?" asked Rukia, glancing up at him.

"Nothing," replied Ichigo. He grinned, hoping to lighten the mood. "Just thinking about what Ishida's face will look like when I pass that test tomorrow."

Rukia smiled. "You had better," she sighed, "or else I'll have to make Pyon watch over you to make sure you don't try anything _stupid_ while I take care of this mess…"

---

"Ichigo…"

Ichigo rolled over, shoving his pillow over his head. It seemed as if he'd _just_ gotten to sleep after a long night of tossing and turning when someone rudely jolted him out of his slumber by repeatedly poking his head.

"Leave me alone," he groaned.

"Tsk. Such insolence…wake UP!" Rukia ordered, wrenching the pillow off of Ichigo's head and repeatedly hitting him with it.

"I'm awake! I'M AWAKE!" he yelled, causing Rukia to cease her attacks. "What kind of way is that to wake someone up?!" he spat groggily.

"Silence! Just be grateful that I let you sleep for as long as you did! We're going to be late at this rate! You won't be able to pass Yoruichi's test if you can't even show up on time!" she retorted.

"Shit, I almost forgot…how much time do we have?" Ichigo asked, throwing the covers off of himself and jumping out of bed.

"Fifteen minutes," Rukia said, grabbing Kon by the arm and forcing the soul candy out of his plushy body before he had any time to react. "Take it!" she demanded, thrusting the pill at Ichigo. He popped it into his mouth, his shell of a body collapsing behind it while he stepped out as a shinigami. Rukia dropped the soul candy into his lifeless mouth.

"Stay here and don't cause trouble!" she barked as Kon sprung to life in Ichigo's body. Ichigo and Rukia didn't stop to listen to his confused shouts as they left the house, jumping swiftly out the window and landing softly on the ground below.

"Can you keep up?" Rukia asked Ichigo, glancing back as he ran behind her.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, picking up his pace. _**I guess it's a good thing I woke up so late,**_ he thought as he watched Rukia's back. _**I don't even have time to be nervous…**_

"We're almost there," Rukia called, pointing to a small cluster of people standing outside the Urahara Shop.

"Of course Ishida's there early," Ichigo mumbled bitterly, Uryuu's thin frame coming into view.

"Yes, everyone is there except us. So if you can whine about Ishida you can RUN FASTER!"

"Will you calm down?! We're almost there! Geez…"

Ichigo slowed down, eventually coming to a full stop in front of a smirking Yoruichi.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," she teased, raising an eyebrow.

Ichigo stared at her as he caught his breath, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smile.

"Not likely," he said. "So what is this test anyway?"

Yoruichi turned to face the rest of the group.

"All right…since you're all here, I'll explain the game to you."

"Game?!" Ichigo interrupted, taken aback. "I thought this was some kind of-"

"You will be quiet when I'm speaking to you," said Yoruichi softly, glaring at him.

"Y-yes ma'am…"

"As I was saying…the game we're going to play is called hide and seek. I'm sure you've all heard of it before?" she asked, scanning the four anxious faces staring back at her. "Listen carefully while I explain the rules, because I won't repeat myself.

"I will split you up into pairs, and for exactly one hour yourself and your partner need to hide yourself from the 'seeker', which will be me, while staying within the limits of Karakura Town. Obviously, the only way to do this is to completely suppress your spiritual pressure." Ichigo felt his heart race. This 'test' was going to be more difficult than he thought. He just hoped he would be assigned Rukia as a partner.

"Each pair will take one of these," Yoruichi continued, holding up two red ribbons. "If at any time during the game I take your ribbon from you, the game is over, and I will _not_ allow you to accompany me on the mission tomorrow. Granted you still have your ribbon at the end of the hour, both you and your partner must return here _together_. If you fail to return as a team, you both will be disqualified. If, for some reason, you feel you are unable to complete the test, you can disqualify yourself by releasing your spiritual pressure in three short burst. Your partner can continue to play the game, and they will _not_ be penalized for your decision. Are there any questions?"

Ichigo, Rukia, Michiko, and Uryuu shook their heads. Ichigo quietly began to pull in his spiritual pressure, hoping that by the time Yoruichi began the game he would be finished and able to move freely.

"All right. Ishida and Kuchiki will be one team, which leaves Kurosaki and Nakamura on the other. I'm going to wait in the Urahara shop for fifteen minutes to give you a head start, and then I'm going to use everything I've got to find you all," said Yoruichi, grinning. "Your time starts…now!" she yelled, darting into the Urahara shop and slamming the door behind her.

Ichigo glanced over at Michiko, who walked swiftly over to him, scowling. She didn't seem terribly thrilled at the prospect of being his partner, and although Ichigo supposed he couldn't blame her, he still felt irritation building up inside of him.

_**New goal**_, he thought. _**I need to finish this stupid game just to get back at her.**_

"Here's the plan I've come up with," she said quickly and quietly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You are not going to completely suppress your spiritual pressure for the next five minutes. During that time we're going to run as far as we can in the opposite direction of where we plan to 'hide'. No offense, but Yoruichi-san is probably expecting you to take a while to be able to completely mask yourself anyway. And since this game was designed to test you in the first place, she's going to be extra tough on our team. Oh, and I'll carry the ribbon. Sound good?"

Ichigo nodded bitterly. While he didn't like her reasoning, he had to admit it seemed like a good idea.

"So where are we gonna hide?" he asked.

"That's where I need your help. I don't know this area very well. It will be your job to lead us to the most crowded area you can think of. If we can disappear among a crowd of humans it will it that much harder for Yoruichi-san to find us."

"Uh…well that would probably be the mall," Ichigo said, pointing in the direction of the busiest place he could think of.

Michiko nodded. "All right. Are you ready to run? After that I'm trusting you to lead us to this 'mall' of which you speak."

Ichigo grinned, the adrenaline rising. This test suddenly didn't seem so difficult. They had a plan, and the extra five minutes he had before he had to hide his spiritual pressure would just make things that much easier.

"Let's go," he said, and with that, they were off. Michiko ran a few paces ahead of him, expertly dodging pedestrians, as if she could predict their movements.

"You're pretty slick, you know that?" Ichigo said, pushing himself to keep up.

"If you can compliment me you can run faster," replied Michiko coldly. Ichigo scowled. It sounded a lot better when it came from Rukia.

When their five minutes of sprinting finally came to an end Michiko stopped, turning to Ichigo as she caught her breath. "This should be enough. Take a minute to suppress your reiatsu," she instructed.

Ichigo nodded. He closed his eyes, trying to make his ragged breathing as even as possible. As he always did, he visualized Rukia's name, feeling his waves of spiritual pressure calmly drifting back in towards his center. When he was confident that he had sufficiently hidden himself, he opened his eyes. Michiko stared at him impatiently, the scowl she wore from earlier not quite gone from her face.

"Lead the way," she said.

Ichigo silently began to run towards the mall, keeping himself focused only on reaching his destination. He figured that if he could narrow down his concentration as much as possible he would be able to hide himself for a longer period of time.

"So what is a 'mall' anyway?" Michiko asked from behind him.

"Don't talk to me," Ichigo said sharply, trying to keep his focus.

Michiko scoffed. "Have it your way…but I'll say this now: if you don't think you can finish the game you need to forfeit. There's no reason for me to go down with you."

"Che." Ichigo tried to roll off her remarks, willing himself not to see the truth in them. "There won't be a need for that," he replied, more to himself than to her. He wouldn't let himself get to that point. There were no other options.

The mall loomed into view, cars weaving their way through the congested parking lot.

"I take it this is the place?" Michiko asked approvingly as Ichigo slowed down to avoid running into a car.

"Yeah. I guess we can wait inside."

"Fine."

"So anyway…a mall like this is a place where humans go to buy things or hang out. There are a lot of different stores inside," Ichigo explained, able to loosen his concentration as the atmosphere relaxed. Yoruichi would be hard-pressed to pick them out of a crowd like this.

"I see…" Michiko glanced around as they walked inside, streams of people rushing in and out of overflowing shops, fidgeting with bulky bags and trying to restrain their over excited children. "How interesting."

"Don't they teach you stuff like this in the Soul Society?"

"It depends on which captain you have. Some of them like you to be educated on human culture. Others could care less. None of the captains I've served under have deemed human behavior important information," she replied, stepping up to a fountain in the center of the mall and examining the various paths of water that cascaded into the base of the structure. "What purpose does this machine serve?"

"It's just there for people to look at, I guess," answered Ichigo, sitting down on a bench behind where Michiko stood. "So who were your captains then?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"For the past ten years I've been under Captain Soi Fon in the second division," Michiko answered, kneeling down to study the patters of tiles at the bottom of the fountain. "But before I was reassigned there I served in the sixth division."

Ichigo snickered. "Everything makes sense now. I can see why _that guy_ wouldn't want to teach you anything about humans."

"You should have some respect," Michiko said shortly, throwing a nasty look at Ichigo over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah…so does that mean you knew Renji?"

Michiko shook her head. "Vice Captain Abarai joined the sixth division some time after I left."

"Oh." Ichigo leaned back, looking around at the people walking past him. Every so often one of them would stop and look at him strangely, recoiling in fear as they saw Zangetsu hanging on his back. However, for the most part, the mall-goers were unable to see him in his shinigami form. "How much time do we have left?" he asked, beginning to feel the strain of having to suppress his spiritual pressure in its entirety.

"Thirty minutes," Michiko answered. Ichigo sighed. "We should get moving. It would be bad to stay in one place for too long."

Ichigo stood up, gritting his teeth as he struggled to quell his reiatsu.

"Are you all right?" Michiko asked, glancing up at him skeptically. Ichigo nodded. He refused to give up after he had come this far.

"Let's go though some of the shops," he said, walking quickly towards a group of people heading into a clothing store. He paced around the racks of shirts for a few minutes, staring at the ground and willing his churning spiritual pressure to settle back into its slumber. Suddenly he turned around, checking to make sure Michiko was still behind him. She had been awfully quiet. Ichigo had expected her to have tried to talk him into forfeiting by now. However, to his horrifying surprise, she had disappeared.

He looked frantically around the store, his eyes automatically jumping to anyone wearing black.

"E-excuse me," he said, pulling aside a woman who had been eyeing him apprehensively. "Have you seen a woman around here, about twenty years old, dressed like me with black hair kind of like this," he said, waving his hands horizontally on the sides of his head in an attempt to describe the symmetrical layers of bangs surrounding Michiko's face. "And she's about this tall," he said desperately, raising his hand to his shoulder. The woman shook her head, stumbling backwards away from Ichigo.

"Shit…SHIT!" Ichigo slid down against the wall, letting his head fall into his hands. His first priority was to keep his spiritual pressure under control. If he couldn't do that, this was all for nothing.

_Having some trouble, are we?_

"Get away from me!" Ichigo growled. What in the world could happen that would make this day any worse?

_And how exactly do you suggest I do that? _snickered his hollow.

Ichigo held his breath, feeling as if even the slightest movement would cause his spiritual pressure to pour out of him. He gripped his hair between his fingers and tightened his hands into fists, the resulting pain giving him something to focus on as his hollow screamed inside of him.

And then he felt it, a sliver of his reiatsu seeping through a crack in his body and spilling out into the open.

The first thing he felt was relief; he could breathe easier, his body felt lighter, and his spiritual pressure stopped churning inside of him quite so much. However, the relief quickly gave way to panic. Ichigo's heart pounded against the inside of his chest as he quickly pulled the stray wave back to him. He needed to get out of the mall, and he needed to do it quickly.

"You…_incompetent_ idiot," someone hissed. Ichigo looked up to find Michiko glaring down at him. "Even if we got separated, you shouldn't under any circumstances have released your reiatsu. We would have eventually just met back up at Urahara's shop at the end of the hour. We need to get out of here _now_," she said, pulling him up off of the ground. Ichigo nodded, feeling that it would be better not to tell her that the real reason he'd let out a burst like that was because he simply couldn't control himself. Besides, he felt much better after his accidental slip up; it seemed all he needed was a small break before he resumed masking himself, even if the experience had nearly made him lose his mind.

"We can go out the back way," said Ichigo, leading Michiko out of the store.

"Get back in here!" she gasped suddenly, grabbing the back of his robe and pulling him behind a rack of pants. "Don't move," she whispered, nodding out the door towards the other side of the mall. Yoruichi walked slowly across the floor, scanning the area around her.

Ichigo jumped, as if a shock ran through his body. Although faint, and fleeting, he distinctly sensed the familiar and reassuring feeling of Rukia's spiritual pressure for a second.

"Did you…"

"Yes," Michiko said quietly. "I hope something hasn't happened to her."

Ichigo felt his heart race once again. Why would Michiko think something had "happened"? But then again, what other explanations could there be for Rukia's lapse? She was probably the best at kidou out of all of them; this should be no problem for her.

Yoruichi seemed to have noticed it as well, as she suddenly darted out of the mall in the direction of the small spark of Rukia's reiatsu.

"Come on, now's our chance," Michiko said, running out of the store and towards the exit. "I'm sure she'll be fine," she reassured Ichigo. "And if she's not, Yoruichi-san will find her soon enough. There isn't anything you can do. Come _on_!" she ordered, grabbing Ichigo's wrist and dragging him along behind her. "We've only got about ten minutes left to get back."

"This way," said Ichigo grimly, redirecting Michiko towards the back exit. He contemplated leaving to go and find Rukia, but even if he did try to find her he would have no idea where to start. He couldn't discern her location from the brief spurt of reiatsu he'd felt, and she had Ishida with her, and Yoruichi would undoubtedly be able to help her if she needed it…

"FOCUS!" Michiko snapped as Ichigo nearly ran into oncoming traffic.

"Sorry…we still have a ways to go, how much time do we have?"

"Five minutes!"

"SHIT!"

"All right, this is what we'll do," said Michiko, grabbing his arm with both of her small hands. "Don't move, and don't resist," she instructed, closing her eyes and muttering something under her breath.

"What…what the hell are you doing? Are you putting some sort of curse on me? Let me go!"

"Silence! I've used an advanced kidou spell to mask my presence. Now I can freely use my spiritual pressure without being detected. Are you ready?" she asked, bracing herself and squeezing Ichigo's arm.

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but before any words had the chance to come out he felt himself being pulled forward and whipped through the streets of Karakura Town. The wind screamed in his ear as his feet repeatedly made contact and then left solid ground. He closed his eyes, his stomach beginning to feel uneasy. After a couple minutes of this Michiko stopped, gasping for air.

"We're…almost there," she said between breaths, pointing towards the storefront of the Urahara shop.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Ichigo yelled, his head spinning.

"JUST RUN TO THE DAMN SHOP!" Michiko countered, pushing Ichigo and breaking out into a sprint.

Ichigo began to run, finally realizing that he had almost passed the test. After losing control of his reiatsu and an unwelcome visit from his hollow, he had still somehow managed to survive. He slowed down as he reached the shop, frowning in confusion as four figures entered his line of vision.

He couldn't help but smile as he recognized Rukia's small frame. But his relief was short lived as she looked over at him, her face heavy with exhaustion and a small gash under her right eye.

"What happened to you?" he said, looking from her face to Uryuu's, which didn't look any better. "And…what are you two doing here?" he asked, suddenly realizing that the other two people standing outside of the shop were none other than Chad and Orihime.

"Who are these people?" Michiko asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

However, before anyone had the chance to answer, the door to the Urahara shop opened and Yoruichi stepped out.

"Congratulations; you have all passed," she said, nodding at the people standing before her. "And you're all just in time, for it seems we have a bit of a situation on our hands…"


	7. Hide and Seek II

Hooray! I'm updating. So...the last third or so of this chapter was written at about 3am, and is thus...well...I dunno, you'll see ahaha, so I apologize for my strange very early morning writing.

Thank you to all who have reviewed/faved/subscribed! E-cookies for everyone :3

* * *

**Hide and Seek II**

"Your time starts…now!"

"Kuchiki-san, do you have a plan?" Uryuu asked, striding over to Rukia as Ichigo's partner pulled him away and began delegating instructions.

"I think we should just try to stay somewhere crowded…and we should keep moving," Rukia said, tearing her attention away from the other team. "It would be unwise to stay in one place too long."

"I agree," nodded Uryuu. "Let's get going, then. We can figure out our destination on the way."

"All right." Rukia broke into a run, following Uryuu as he led the way towards some of Karakura Town's busier streets. She glanced over her shoulder, reluctant to leave Ichigo alone with someone who would undoubtedly be less patient with the more stubborn aspects of his personality than she. _Although…_she thought somewhat guiltily, _would it really be so bad if he were to fail? He can hardly manage to keep his spiritual pressure under control…if he ends up going on this mission, he could really hurt himself…_Rukia smiled bitterly to herself. _Not that losing a game would keep him away. _She shifted her focus once again to Uryuu's back and tried to leave her worries behind her. _Besides…since it's him, things will probably work out somehow._

"…Is everything all right?" asked Uryuu, pulling Rukia away from her thoughts.

"Ah…yes, everything is fine. Have you thought of a place to hide for now?" she replied.

Uryuu nodded, pointing up to a large, many storied building on the corner of the block where they stood. An ambulance wailed past them, swerving past a bright red sign that read "Emergency" in very large letters.

"A hospital?" Rukia asked to confirm.

Uryuu nodded again. "The emergency department, to be exact. We'll be able to 'get lost' so to speak in an area with so much movement. We can stay there for a while and figure out where to go next."

"Let's go then," said Rukia, resuming her sprint. Within a few moments she found herself walking through a set of automatic doors adorned with bright stickers instructing pedestrians how best not to be injured by them. She instinctively dodged people as they maneuvered wheelchairs and gurneys across the waxy hallway floors, watching doctors and nurses scurry back and forth from the medicine and utility rooms, their pockets full of alcohol swabs and spare pairs of gloves.

"Th-this way," Uryuu said, gesturing to a bland waiting room with anxious people spilling out in every direction. He fidgeted nervously with his glasses, constantly pushing them up the bridge of his nose to the point where they created a small, red indentation in the pale skin between his eyes.

"Is something the matter?" demanded Rukia, watching Uryuu's eyes dart around the room as he continued to press his glasses into his face.

"I suppose just never saw them like this before…I don't spend a lot of time in hospitals…"

Rukia looked around, suddenly aware of what she, distracted by the scramble of patients and health care workers, had failed to notice. Wispy souls floated through the numerous walls and curtains of the emergency department, some of them gliding by in a daze, others crying out in despair, begging the oblivious doctors to save them. Rukia lowered her head, the buzzing confusion of the newly departed saturating her ears.

"I should…" she began, pulling her zanpakutou out of its holster. However, she hesitated, the reiatsu of another shinigami faintly registering in her senses. She slid her sword back into place, focusing her vision. "Someone else is here."

"Back here," Uryuu said, nodding his head towards a curtained room and guiding her inside. Rukia peeked out, watching a nervous shinigami enter her view. He drew his sword reluctantly, taking slow, choppy movements to raise the end of the hilt to the forehead of the various spirits.

"Don't worry," she heard him assure them as they drifted out of the world of the living. "You'll be all right."

"They often send new Gotei members to hospitals for some practice," Rukia said softly as she and Uryuu continued to watch.

"It makes sense," Uryuu conceded, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"We should go," Rukia sighed. "It wouldn't be good if he saw us here."

"I suppose not," echoed Uryuu, reaching to pull open the curtain. Before he could finish the motion, however, a hand thrust itself inside and yanked back the curtain with a swift "swish".

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" demanded a nurse, cocking her head to the side and clutching onto a chart as she waited for a response. She was followed closely by a sniffling child and her parents, all three of them eyeing Uryuu cautiously as he recoiled in shock. Rukia gasped, remembering that while she was invisible to most humans, Uryuu was not.

"I-I'm very sorry, I was looking for my grandfather," Uryuu mumbled, seemingly stumbling backwards (but in reality being dragged along by Rukia).

"Well he is not here," snapped the nurse, glaring at Uryuu as he made his way back towards the waiting room.

"Hey, aren't you that Quincy kid?" someone shouted. Rukia and Uryuu froze as the shinigami they had been trying to avoid jogged over to meet them, obviously alerted to their presence by the small scene they had just created.

"Ah…no, I…I don't know what you're-"

"And aren't you Rukia Kuchiki?" he asked once he'd caught up to them, eyes widening as Rukia exhaled impatiently, massaging her temples.

"Yes…I guess I am," she answered, her mind racing as to how she could get herself and Uryuu out of this situation without having to offer a lengthy explanation to the Soul Society upon her return.

"Why didn't I sense you, then? Are you hiding your spiritual pressure?" he accused, looking back and forth between Rukia and Uryuu.

"…That certainly seems to be the case…" explained Rukia, drawing out each word slowly in the hopes that it would buy her some time to come up with a believable story. "I was just…um...supposed to watch over you and report your progress back to…" her eyes quickly searched him for any hint as to which squad he belonged to, but found nothing that could be of use.

"To Vice-Captain Kira, right?" said the shinigami, finishing Rukia's sentence to her relief.

"Yes. He asked me to…to check on you…" she said, realizing how far fetched her lies sounded as the words materialized.

"Um…no offense intended, but wouldn't the Vice-Captain ask someone within his _own_ division to do something like this?"

Rukia and Uryuu stared back at him, their mouths gaping, hoping that the words to get them out of his mess would magically fly inside.

"Are you…are you questioning your superior officer's judgment?" Rukia asked, feeling a pang of guilt as the young shinigami shook his head vigorously and offered his apologies.

"Not at all! I never meant-"

"It's quite all right," Rukia said curtly, trying her best to fall into the role she had created for herself. "Why don't we just forget this meeting ever happened?" she suggested, closing her eyes and waving her hand nonchalantly. "I've seen enough." She opened one eye, the shinigami looking back at her with wide, unblinking eyes; panicked by her most recent statement. "You're doing a fine job," she reassured him quickly. "Your Vice-Captain will be proud," she said, softening her expression.

"Oh…that's good to hear," breathed the shinigami, relaxing into a smile. "You know, it's just so nerve-wracking to be doing this for the first time-"

"Uh-huh…you know I should really be going, my friend and I have some…other business to attend to," Rukia said quickly, looking around quickly, suddenly remembering that she was being tailed by Yoruichi Shihouin of all people. "You know, official business."

"Oh! Sure. I'll forget I ever saw you," he beamed, throwing Rukia a wink that engaged the better part of his face.

"…I think that's for the best-"

"Sir, do I have to call security?!"

"Crap – let's get out of here!" Uryuu urged as the nurse from before advanced on him. Rukia nodded, once again following him as he ran out through the waiting room and burst out of the front entrance of the hospital through the lobby doors.

"Where do you want to go next?" Rukia asked, squinting through the bright midmorning sunlight at Uryuu.

"Mm…perhaps the restaurant district; it's just a few blocks that way," he said, pointing out through the parking lot.

"All right. Let's walk there…we still have about forty minutes left," Rukia noted, a bit dismayed that so little time had past.

Uryuu nodded. He and Rukia began to make their way through the parking lot, dodging cars as they weaved in and out of cleanly lined slots, occasionally honking at each other when a distracted driver got in someone else's way.

"It's a little funny," Uryuu commented as they left the lot behind them. "These humans just go on with their lives, unaware of just how dangerous this world really is."

Rukia glanced at the people walking past them, happy, sad, angry, but never afraid. "That's how it should be," she replied. "There's no reason for them to worry about such things."

"I don't know which is easier," Uryuu continued, "living peacefully in ignorance or knowing the truth."

"I couldn't tell you." Rukia looked down at the sidewalk. She walked with Uryuu in silence, thinking about what he had said. It couldn't have been easy for him to grow up as he did, able to see things other children couldn't. But then again, she thought, it hadn't been easy for any of them. She remembered Ichigo the first time she met him. He was jaded, bored, and stagnating, worn down from the isolation of living a life he thought no one could understand. She remembered the way he looked at her when she offered him her powers that night; frightened, thrilled, vulnerable, and prepared. Completely trusting a mysterious stranger to drive her sword through his chest. _How reckless of him,_ she thought to herself, smiling. She could still feel herself shiver upon seeing him transform, the dullness and vacancy with which he had been living from day to day melting away in favor of a fiery, passionate resolve. Rukia felt her cheeks flush from the memory.

"…Everything all right?" Uryuu asked, cutting into the silence. He glanced over at her, eyebrows slightly raised into a smug expression.

"I'm fine," answered Rukia, her voice sounding more defensive than she intended. Something about the way Uryuu looked at her made her uneasy; it was as if he knew something she didn't. Or, rather, as if he knew something she didn't want him to know.

"You just seemed rather lost in thought," he remarked back casually. Rukia scowled. His comment was innocent enough, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more under the surface.

"I suppose I was."

"I see."

Rukia stopped on the sidewalk, having thoroughly had enough of Uryuu's roundabout statements. "What are you trying to get at?" she demanded, her harshness taking both of them a bit by surprise. Why was Uryuu getting her so worked up?

_Because he's acting like he knows how I feel about-_

Rukia stopped herself, forcing her mind not to finish that sentence. Her face burned red once again. She lifted her hands to her cheeks, pressing her palms into her skin and picking up her stride once more.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. Let's continue," she mumbled, frustrated that she allowed herself to show so much emotion.

"Y-you know," Uryuu began cautiously, "it's not like we don't notice it…it's just different with you two," he said, shrugging.

Rukia felt her stomach drop. She couldn't decide which surprised her more – the fact that Uryuu had evidently picked up on her developing feelings for Ichigo or the fact that he felt the need to talk about it.

"I…I don't know what you mean," she said, desperately hoping to somehow change the subject. "But we have about thirty minutes left, so do you think we should go somewhere-"

"I just wish…" said Uryuu, obviously not listening to a word Rukia had just said.

"You just wish…what?" she asked, the realization dawning on her. He wasn't talking about her at all with his arrogant questions and cryptic remarks. He was talking about himself. Rukia couldn't deny that she saw the way Uryuu looked at Orihime Inoue, and the way that she rarely looked back.

"She doesn't even…she has no idea," he sighed, once again sliding his glasses up his nose.

"Then give her something to think about," Rukia said, glancing back at Uryuu. His pale skin quickly lit up with a reddish hue.

"So what were you saying about only having thirty minutes left?" he asked, refusing to make eye contact.

Rukia smiled. "Well, now it's only about twenty five…" she stopped, feeling a small breeze brush against her from side street. "Did you feel that?" she asked, peering down the narrow alley. It was completely deserted except for a young man sitting on an old milk crate, his shoulders hunched over and his elbows resting on his knees.

"Feel what?"

"That breeze just now…it came from a different direction than how the wind's normally been blowing," she said, eyeing the man cautiously as he straightened his posture.

"I didn't feel anything…and I don't sense anything abnormal…perhaps it was just from a car or something-"

"Where did he go?" Rukia interjected, suddenly bracing her stance and gripping the hilt of her zanpakutou.

"Where did who go?" Uryuu asked, frantically looking around.

"That man sitting in the alley! I could have sworn he was-"

"You're far too clever for your own good, Miss."

Rukia whirled around, drawing her sword as the man from before stepped out from behind her. "You're…!"

"Mmhm, I'm no friend of yours," he teased. "That was awfully mean of you, hiding your reiatsu like that. How am I supposed to find you shinigami if you walk around without any spiritual pressure?"

Rukia smiled bitterly through gritted teeth. "I could say the same for you." Neither she nor Uryuu had sensed any sort of abnormalities in the spiritual energy surrounding them. And yet here, standing before her, was what she assumed could only be an Elemental. Before she had time to think about how completely unlucky the current situation was it pounced at her, barely brushing her shirt as she jumped out of his way.

"Get help!" she ordered Uryuu, immediately judging by the swiftness of his reflexes that this Elemental was much stronger than the last she had encountered.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" he asked, backing away as Rukia continued to defend herself from the Elemental's attacks. She sensed Uryuu slowly beginning to release his spiritual pressure, undoubtedly having figured that now was not the time to be concerned with completing Yoruichi's game.

"Just go!" she shouted, wondering why her opponent had yet to try any attacks other than hand-to-hand combat. However, instead of contemplating the matter, she took the opportunity to dart forward at him, swinging her sword upwards in one smooth motion. She scowled, the Elemental just barely dodging out of her way at the last moment. She began to dig her heels into the ground to stop her movement, but instead felt herself being pushed forward until she made impact with a nearby wall.

Rukia quickly turned around, resuming her stance and holding her sword out in front of her. _What just happened?_ She wondered, her shoulder throbbing from where it had make contact with the side of the building. She hadn't felt the Elemental grab her or anything of that sort. So how was it able to throw her around like that?

"Haven't figured it out yet? Why don't I give you another chance, then," laughed the Elemental, stretching out its arm and jerking it back in towards its body. Rukia once again felt herself being thrust forward. Her hair blew in front of her face as she extended her legs in front of her, firmly planting her feet on the opposite wall so she could push herself backwards and land smoothly.

"You can control the wind," she said, beginning to release her own spiritual pressure and barely whispering a kidou spell to herself.

"Finally getting serious, are we?" the Elemental said, once again stretching its hands in front of it. But Rukia didn't give it the chance to finish. She quickly extended her hand towards the Elemental, reciting the final lines of her incantation.

"…divide into six! Bakudou number sixty one, Rikujoukourou!" The Elemental gasped, stunned as six rods of light shot through the midsection of its body and pinned it in place. Rukia lowered her hand, brandishing her sword in preparation to deal it the final blow.

However, before she had the chance to attack, she felt her kidou spell begin to falter. The prison of light began to tremble as the Elemental fought against it.

"Dammit," she hissed, preparing herself to call her zanpakutou into its shikai state. She opened her mouth to speak Sode no Shirayuki's command, but stopped, sensing two familiar spiritual pressures approaching.

"Souten Kisshun!"

Rukia looked up to see Orihime and Chad sprinting towards her, with Uryuu leading the way. A barrier closed around the Elemental, effectively trapping it inside.

"Orihime!" Rukia exclaimed as her friends came to a stop in front of her. "Isn't that your healing technique?" she asked, confused.

"Yes," replied Orihime breathlessly, "but it shouldn't be able to get out of that barrier. Let me know when you want me to release it," she said.

"How…how did you get here so quickly?" asked Rukia.

"Ah hah…well, I was worried since I couldn't sense anyone's spiritual pressure…and so when I felt Ishida-kun's reiatsu I ran to go find him," Orihime explained. Chad nodded silently, clenching his left fist and eyeing the struggling Elemental cautiously.

"What is that?" he asked, but Rukia and Uryuu were left with no time to explain.

"What's going on, Kuchiki, Ishida?" Yoruichi asked, jumping down in front of them from a nearby rooftop. "What have you got here?"

"It's an Elemental," Uryuu said. "Inoue-san was able to trap it in her barrier."

Yoruichi turned sharply to face them. "But I didn't sense anything," she said.

"Neither did we," Rukia responded. "It took us completely by surprise."

"That is indeed troubling," sighed Yoruichi, stretching out her fingers. A glowing, white light emitted from her hands. "Inoue, release your barrier. I'll finish this quickly."

Orihime nodded, and the barrier around the Elemental dissolved into nothing. Before it had time to react, Yoruichi disappeared, only to suddenly reappear a few yards away from her original location. The Elemental keeled over, collapsing to the ground before it could process what had just occurred. Yoruichi picked it up and slung it over her shoulder.

"Let's head back. You too, Sado, Inoue," she said, nodding at the group.

"Um…Yoruichi-san? What exactly was that thing?" Orihime asked as she ran to keep up.

"I'll explain everything to you once we're back at the shop," Yoruichi replied coldly. Rukia clenched her teeth, a new wave of unease hitting her. Yoruichi's tone could only be described as nothing short of ominous, and when a person like Yoruichi spoke in such a way it usually meant that the situation was much worse than previously thought.

They finally arrived back at the Urahara Shop, a few moments before the hour Yoruichi had given them to play the game was up. Rukia looked around anxiously, waiting to see if Ichigo had made it back yet. To her dismay he was nowhere to be found.

"Wait out here while I deal with this," instructed Yoruichi, carrying the Elemental's limp body inside.

"I wonder if Kurosaki's made it," Uryuu muttered.

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough," Rukia shrugged, still glancing around for any signs of him or his partner. She straightened up, suddenly aware of two people running towards the shop. Ichigo stopped just in front of her, bending over as he gasped for air.

"What happened to you?" he asked, pointing to her face. Rukia raised her finger to her cheek, suddenly aware of a small gash under her right eye. She looked back at Ichigo, the relief of seeing that he'd passed nearly bringing her to her knees. She opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped as Yoruichi stepped outside once more.

"Congratulations," she said, "you have all passed. And you're all just in time, for it seems we have a bit of a situation on our hands…"

"A situation?" asked Michiko, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Yes," answered Yoruichi. "If you'll all come inside I'll be more than happy to explain."

The six people followed Yoruichi to the back room, to the same circular table they had sat at when Urahara had first told them of the Elementals. Rukia purposefully weaved her way through the line of people so that she would end up next to Ichigo. She couldn't explain exactly why, but the urge to be near him had hit her particularly strongly.

"You all right?" he asked again, nudging her lightly with his elbow. Rukia nodded, smiling up at Ichigo. They took their place at the table, fidgeting around on the floor until they were comfortable.

Yoruichi began by filling in Chad and Orihime on the history of the Elementals, of how they were created to upset the balance of souls and throw the entire world into chaos so that the man called Yasuo could extract his revenge on the Soul Society for banishing him hundreds of years ago. She also recounted what Uryuu and Rukia had told her about their most recent encounter with the Elemental, and how, unlike before, they could now hide their spiritual pressure.

"…You can all see how this could be a problem," continued Yoruichi. "We can't have these Elementals wandering around without our knowledge and further upsetting the balance. We need to be as proactive as possible in eliminating them once and for all. So that's why I'm moving up the start of our mission," she said, looking from face to face. "Kurosaki, Kuchiki, Ishida, Nakamura, you have three hours to ready yourselves. Meet back here and be prepared to depart."

"We're leaving in three hours?!" Ichigo exclaimed, leaning forward across the table.

Yoruichi glared at him. "Yes, will that be a problem, Kurosaki? We need to take care of this as quickly as possible. The balance has already begun to shift significantly. If we don't act soon…_they'll_ be getting restless…Sado, Inoue, I need you two to stay here and work with Urahara. You'll be in charge of taking care of the Elementals that appear around here and stopping them from defeating any more hollows. Can you do that?"

Orihime and Chad nodded, still wide-eyed from all of the information they had to absorb in such a short amount of time.

"All right. The rest of you go and take care of any business you need to. Remember, we're leaving in three hours."

Rukia stood up, suddenly remembering something as she walked out the door.

"Yoruichi-san," she said, "didn't we lose? You found my team, didn't you?"

"You still have your ribbon, right?" replied Yoruichi, grinning.

Rukia smiled. "Oh…yes! And one last thing," she added quickly, another thought entering her mind.

"Yes?"

"Who did you mean when you said 'they'll be getting restless'?"

Yoruichi looked down at Rukia, the playful grin she wore mere seconds earlier completely gone. "Put such questions out of your mind," she advised. "With any luck, you'll never have to find out."

* * *

I'm surprised it took me 7 chapters to mention Kira XD

Until next time!


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